MANILA, Philippines — Former Senate president Franklin Drilon cautioned that the practice of “double insertion” in the national budget may still be happening, warning that the first round of political allocations could have already been made by the time the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) was submitted to Congress last week.
Drilon explained that by the time the President’s budget has been transmitted to Congress, the first layer of insertions may have already been introduced at the regional level.
He pointed out that agencies such as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) consolidate budget proposals from their district and regional offices before these are endorsed to Malacañang.
“From what the DPWH regional office submits, politicians already have (budget) insertions there, the pork barrel is inserted, so that when it reaches Malacañang, the pork barrel is already there,” Drilon said in an interview yesterday over radio dzBB.
Drilon raised particular concern over the hundreds of billions allocated for flood control programs in the 2026 budget, a sector he noted has long been susceptible to questionable funding practices.
“Everybody knows that… when the budget reaches Congress, there will be more insertions,” he stressed.
Drilon, a key figure in past budget debates, recalled that similar practices surfaced during controversies over the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and other congressional insertions.
He said these precedents illustrate how pork barrel allocations can be embedded twice – first in the proposed NEP, then again when Congress deliberates and amends the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Unreliable
Drilon also questioned whether congressional inquiries into alleged flood control anomalies would be credible in the eyes of the public.
“The problem there is the public will not believe the results of the investigation because it’s just the same people… Even if their investigation is right, the credibility of the results will be doubted,” Drilon said.
Instead, he suggested that accountability mechanisms should be left to independent constitutional bodies.
“For me, COA (Commission on Audit) and Ombudsman should investigate insofar as exacting accountability is concerned if there was really a shortcoming. And for reforms, NEDA (now Department of Economy, Planning and Development) and DBM (Department of Budget and Management) should lead the way,” he said.
Drilon said flood control has emerged as one of the fastest-growing items in the national budget. The allocation stands at P346.6 billion under the 2025 GAA and P224.8 billion in 2024, which totals roughly P590 billion over just two years.
Under the recently submitted 2026 NEP, the allocation for flood control project is P275 billion, he noted.
By comparison, the allocation for flood control projects in 2016 – the last year of the Aquino administration – was P64.2 billion, according to Drilon, who previously chaired the Senate committee on finance.
“The current budget is about five times higher than that figure,” he noted.
In addition, Drilon was also baffled how contractors with as little as P250,000 in declared capital were able to secure flood control projects worth billions of pesos.
He likened the scheme to the controversial Pharmally Pharmaceutical deal during the Duterte administration, where a small company bagged contracts worth hundreds of billions for COVID-19 supplies.
It was Drilon who unearthed the anomalous transaction during Senate hearings, leading to the filing of cases against government officials and company executives.
As another safeguard, Drilon called for the abolition of district engineers in the DPWH, saying their functions only duplicate those of regional directors.
“They are just duplicating the work of the regional director. In reality, the district engineer is just ignoring the regional director. The usual excuse is that the money is the congressman’s, or the senator’s, and therefore should not be meddled with,” he said.
Substandard projects
Meanwhile, Oriental Mindoro Gov. Bonz Dolor has criticized what he described as a substandard flood control project in Naujan town, questioning its cost, design and implementation after a portion of the dike collapsed last month.
Dolor, who personally inspected the flood control structures in Barangays Mulawin and Tagumpay on Saturday, said parts of the project were filled with sand, had thin concrete, and were supported by undersized steel bars.
“This is the people’s blood and sweat. Citizens have the right to know what is being done with their money,” Dolor said.
The governor noted that the project reportedly cost over P200 million but was damaged in less than a year.
In Barangay Tagumpay, he said flood control structures had cost up to P1 billion per kilometer, an amount he described as excessive compared with the provincial government’s P2 billion annual budget.
At the Mulawin site, Dolor said a security guard initially barred him and his team from entering, insisting that the contractor required a written permit from the DPWH.
The inspection was supposed to be done jointly with DPWH Mimaropa, but Dolor pushed through without the agency’s representatives.
“Even as governor, I am not allowed to enter? This is public land. I will enter whether you like it or not because I am protecting this province,” Dolor said.
He expressed frustration with DPWH Mimaropa director Gerald Pacanan, saying they had earlier agreed to a joint inspection. Dolor accused contractors and officials of covering up defects in the structures.
The governor compared the dike with a 600-meter gabion wall built by the province for only P40 million over 10 years ago, which remains intact today.
“P40 million as against P1 billion per kilometer that did not even last a year,” he said.
Dolor said around P39 billion has been allocated to flood control projects in the province from 2023 to 2025, yet flooding remains unresolved.
Pacanan admitted that only about 12 percent of the 284 kilometers of riverbanks needing protection in Oriental Mindoro have been covered by projects so far.
He said a fact-finding team has been formed to investigate Dolor’s complaints and warned that negligent contractors would be held accountable.
The STAR reached out to Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan for comment, but he did not respond to texts and calls. Randy del Rosario, DPWH Stakeholder Relations Service director, referred The STAR to James Corwin Custodio, DPWH Region 4-B legal division officer, who has yet to comment on the matter.
Mayors for good governance
In Marilao, Bulacan, Mayor Jem Sy has thrown her support to the coalition of local chief executives under the banner Mayors for Good Governance in the wake of corruption allegations in flood control projects nationwide.
The coalition in a social media post said “Flood control projects have existed for decades, but corruption in these projects has become more alarming, pervasive, and systematic.”
It stressed that public funds must be safeguarded, and those proven guilty must not only be removed from office but also prosecuted and jailed.
“Corruption must end now,” the coalition added. “The Filipino people deserve a government that protects and serves them, not one that endangers their lives and robs them of their future.”
Residents of Marilao town, especially those in low-lying areas, have been experiencing flooding during the rainy season and during Manila Bay’s high tides.