COA, not DPWH, should audit flood control projects

MANILA, Philippines —  The Commission on Audit (COA) and not the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should audit the government’s flood control projects, the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives said yesterday.

While welcoming calls to investigate and audit flood control projects following the massive flooding that hit Metro Manila and nearby areas despite billions allocated for flood mitigation, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio and Kabataan Rep. Renee Louise Co said they strongly oppose any move to let the DPWH conduct its own investigation.

“The DPWH cannot be trusted to investigate itself when it is neck-deep in these anomalies. This is like asking the fox to guard the henhouse,” Tinio said in a joint statement with Co.

“The DPWH is part of the problem, not part of the solution. How will they audit their own ineptitude?” Co added.

Citing the agency’s independence and track record in exposing government anomalies, Tinio and Co called on COA to conduct a comprehensive audit of all flood control projects, similar to its work on the pork barrel scam and Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential funds.

“COA has the technical expertise, independence and constitutional mandate to conduct thorough audits. They exposed the PDAF scam, they questioned the confidential funds – they can certainly uncover the truth behind these flood control failures even by just basing from their previous audit reports,” Tinio emphasized.

According to COA’s 2023 annual audit report (AAR) on DPWH, the agency failed to efficiently implement 3,047 locally funded projects worth a total of P131.57 billion due to inadequate planning, detailed engineering, supervision and monitoring.

These deficiencies led to delays, non-implementation of projects and violations of the Revised Government Procurement Reform Act, its implementing rules and contract terms, according to Co and Tinio.

The report also showed DPWH’s failure to implement 17 foreign-assisted projects worth P84.4 billion.

COA noted increasing project costs and prolonged implementation periods, citing delays in the Metro Manila Bridges Project that led to government commitment fees of around P26.5 million in 2022 and 2023. Excluding these fees, delayed projects amounted to roughly P216 billion.

Some 828 infrastructure projects were also not executed according to their respective contract agreements due to a “lack of proper supervision and monitoring,” resulting in technical defects estimated at P343.5 million.

The audit further flagged unimplemented, deficient and “ghost projects” under DPWH.

“Various infrastructure projects with aggregate cost of P5.7 billion were declared as 100 percent complete on the Report on Publicized Government Programs, Projects and Activities, and project status monitoring reports of DPWH implementing offices despite the deficiencies or defects noted upon actual inspection and validation thereof, thus, not in keeping with transparency on reporting of government transactions,” the bloc said, quoting COA’s AAR.

The group added that at least P46.4 million worth of obsolete properties and equipment in various DPWH offices remain undisposed of.

Of 905 targeted flood mitigation structures and drainage systems, DPWH completed only 450, while 1,234 projects were still ongoing as of the audit.

Meanwhile, out of 192 projects targeted under various infrastructure programs, including school buildings, multipurpose facilities, health centers, water supply systems and farm-to-market roads, only 51 were completed.

COA also found that DPWH acted on just 70 of its 122 recommendations from the 2022 audit. One of these involved the improper recording of fund transfers amounting to around P414 million.

Due to these findings and the continuing issues in DPWH’s implementation of projects, the Makabayan bloc urged Congress to pass a resolution directing COA to conduct an immediate and comprehensive audit of all DPWH flood control projects from 2016 to the present.

“The culture of impunity in DPWH must be stopped. The people deserve answers and only an independent body like COA can provide them,” said Co.

Go on leave

Meanwhile, Bacolod lone district Rep. Albee Benitez on Friday urged DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan to take a leave of absence after the agency faced backlash over the failure of various flood control projects across the country.

“Out of delicadeza and to help preserve the integrity of any inquiry, I respectfully urge the DPWH secretary to take a leave of absence while the investigation is ongoing,” Benitez said on his Facebook page.

“This simple act of good faith will go a long way toward restoring public trust and ensuring that the process is impartial and credible,” he added.

Benitez’s call came following President Marcos’ directive for the DPWH to submit a list of all flood control projects constructed since the start of his administration in 2022, and to subject all flood control structures to audit and performance reviews.

Marcos criticized the poor performance of the country’s flood control projects during his State of the Nation Address, lambasting officials and contractors who profited from projects that failed to mitigate flooding during recent monsoon rains.

Benitez also questioned the propriety of Bonoan remaining in his post while his agency is under investigation.

“When there are questions about a company’s finances, you don’t ask the accountant to audit himself. You bring in someone independent to find the truth,” the lawmaker said. “The implementor should not be the evaluator.”