Pulong Duterte on flood control projects in Davao City: ‘The structures exist’

Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte denied having non-existent flood control projects in his district on Wednesday following allegations of irregularities by House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Representative Antonio Tinio.

“Every single flood control project along the Davao and Matina Rivers was implemented, inspected, and validated by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Commission on Audit (COA),” said Duterte in a statement.

“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.”

Tinio earlier alleged that at least P4.35 billion worth of flood control projects in the first district of Davao City are questionable.

Tinio's assessment, which covered 121 contracts from 2019 to 2022, was based on official government data from the Sumbong sa Pangulo website and documentation provided by the DPWH. The irregularities cited include issues like overlapping projects, double funding, and a lack of specific details.

“Tinio’s so-called exposé is nothing but a desperate and ignorant attempt to drag Davao into another circus of baseless accusations. You claim to have ‘uncovered’ anomalies—but did you ever question DPWH with your so-called facts? Or did you just piece together numbers to sound relevant again? ” the Davao lawmaker said.

Duterte also challenged Tinio to “come to Davao, walk the riverbanks, see the projects, and talk to the people whose homes no longer flood because of those structures. Then maybe you’ll realize the only thing missing in your so-called investigation is the truth.”

The Davao City congressman also questioned the credibility of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure's inspection of flood control projects nationwide.

"And to the ICI: stop pretending this is a 'national audit' when you keep flying your people—RETIRED POLICE, RECYCLED APPOINTEES, and non-engineers—to Davao just to take photos beside working projects," he said, adding that the ICI should deploy "real engineers" instead of "political operators."

On Wednesday, the DPWH and the ICI inspected a flood control project in Davao City that was damaged just eight months after its completion. 

According to the report of GMA Regional TV’s Rgil Relator on “24 Oras,” the officials checked the damaged portion of the flood control project on the Davao River in the Matina Gravahan area.

The project was completed in May 2023, but its curved section collapsed after being hit by flood and debris just after eight months.

“Dahil nga sa nasira, so, tignan natin kung ano ang cause ng pagkasira. If it has something to do with the materials na ginamit or hindi tama ‘yung timpla ng semento,” said ICI special adviser Rodolfo Azurin Jr. 

(Because it was damaged, we need to look at what the cause of the damage was. If it has something to do with the materials used or if the cement mixture was not right.) 

“I think we have to review ‘yung kontrata para sa ganun ma-determine ano ang pwede nating gagawin na sanction doon sa mga contractor as well as ‘yung mga supposedly nag-implement ng project,” he added. 

(I think we have to review the contract so that we can determine what sanctions we can impose on the contractors as well as those who supposedly implemented the project.)  —Vince Angelo Ferreras/VBL, GMA Integrated News