Tinio seeks Ombudsman probe of P4.4B Davao flood control projects

House Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio has asked the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate up to P4.4 billion worth of flood control projects in Davao City’s First District over alleged irregularities, including overlapping contracts, double funding, and missing project details.

Tinio said his team reviewed 121 flood control contracts implemented from 2019 to 2022 and recorded under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Of these, he claimed 80 contracts showed possible red flags amounting to billions of pesos.

According to Tinio, the alleged irregularities included:

• Total overlap (P135M): Two contracts allegedly funded construction on identical river sections, raising concerns over possible duplicate payments or ghost projects;
• Double funding (P115M): The same project allegedly appeared twice in the 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and was awarded to two different contractors;
• Location changes and shortchanging (P425M): Eight projects were reportedly implemented in locations different from those authorized and covered significantly shorter lengths than appropriated, yet contractors allegedly received nearly full payment;
• Contracts without specifications (P3.56B): Sixty-five contracts allegedly lacked key details such as station numbers or project lengths, making verification difficult and raising concerns about possible ghost projects;
• No GAA authorization (P623M): Ten contracts allegedly had no corresponding line item in the GAA, raising questions over potentially unauthorized expenditures;
• Incomplete projects (P713M): Ten contracts reportedly remain unfinished years after their expiry dates. Three were paradoxically tagged as “100% complete” while still marked “on-going,” while one project, Matina Pangi Bridge 3, was reportedly only 64% complete after five years; and
• Congressional insertions: Forty-nine of the 80 red-flagged contracts were reportedly congressional insertions, all concentrated in Davao City’s 1st Legislative District.

In a letter submitted Tuesday to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, Tinio urged a “thorough investigation” into the projects, particularly through physical inspection of projects reported as incomplete or listed as “100% complete but ongoing.”

“We respectfully urge the Ombudsman to conduct a thorough investigation of these flood control projects, with priority attention to physical verification of incomplete and ‘100% complete but On-Going’ projects,” Tinio said.

In a separate interview with reporters, Tinio said the alleged irregularities bore “red flags” of possible anomalies.

“Dapat imbestigahan dahil may mga red flag. May mga marka ng anomalya ang mga ito. Noticeably, the biggest contractor here is Genesis88, which is owned by [Mr. Glenn] Escandor, who is a former sports adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte,” he said.

Tinio alleged that Genesis 88 Construction received 10 contracts worth P713 million, while five other contractors accounted for 53% of the projects covered in the review.

The representative of Davao City’s First District from 2019 to 2022 was Paolo Duterte, who continues to hold the post.

Tinio said he had earlier asked the now-defunct Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to look into the same projects, but the body ended operations in March 2026 without resolving the Davao City cases.

He said the Ombudsman’s ongoing efforts to pursue flood control-related investigations prompted him to formally seek a probe.

“The Ombudsman previously said they are in the thick of preparing the flood control cases to be filed against senators. This is an opportunity for us to inform the Ombudsman that we did due diligence in examining these contracts and asking an investigation based on the data we have gathered,” Tinio said.

In response, Duterte rejected the allegations and maintained that all projects in his district are above board, while also resorting to name-calling.

He cited DPWH Region XI records showing that infrastructure projects in Davao City from 2020 to 2022, totaling approximately P49.84 billion, were completed and met or exceeded standards.

“These include roads, drainage systems, bridges, and other public works that Dabawenyos continue to benefit from today. But instead of acknowledging actual infrastructure accomplishments, ‘Tontong Tinio’ appears more interested in recycling troll narratives and politically motivated accusations meant to demonize the Duterte family,” Duterte said.

“The public can clearly see the pattern—selective outrage, selective investigations, and selective courage. Filipinos are intelligent enough to distinguish genuine public service from political theater,” he added.

When Tinio first raised the allegations in 2025, Duterte rejected the claims, saying the functionality of the projects had been validated by the DPWH and the Commission on Audit.

“The structures exist. They are serving the people. They are not ‘ghosts’—unlike the kind of politics some people keep reviving every time they need attention,” Duterte said.

He also challenged Tinio to visit Davao and inspect the projects firsthand, saying residents benefited from flood control structures that allegedly reduced flooding in communities.—MCG, GMA News