Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte said he welcomes the call of ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio for an investigation into the flood control projects in his district.

On Tuesday, December 2, 2025, Tinio asked the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to investigate flood control projects in Davao City, which included at least 80 contracts worth P4.4 billion from 2019 to 2022.

Tinio believes the contracts contain red flags or anomalies.

"So iba-ibang tipo ng anomalya ang nakita natin. Mayroong double funding, iba 'yung location, at saka mas maiksi 'yung flood control project kaysa doon sa inaprubahan. Sa budget, so possible overpricing ito," he said.

In a statement, Duterte said he welcomes the probe, saying he has nothing to hide.

“Una sa lahat, I welcome the investigation. Wala tayong tinatago, wala tayong tinatakbuhan, at wala tayong kinakatakutan,” Duterte said.

Duterte said he was the congressman of the first district since 2019 but clarified that lawmakers do not design, award, or implement infrastructure projects as these responsibilities fall under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“Pero kailangan kong itama ang maling pinapalaganap ni Tinio. Yes, naging congressman ako noong 2019 pero hindi ibig sabihin ako ang nag-design, nag-award, o nag-implement ng lahat ng proyekto mula 2019 hanggang 2022. Ang DPWH ang implementing agency, may sariling bidding, sariling proseso, sariling responsibilidad,” he added.

Duterte said the ICI, police, and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have inspected the district’s projects repeatedly.

“Kung may nakita silang ‘double funding,’ ‘overpricing,’ o ‘unfinished projects,’ mas maganda ngang imbestigahan — para makita kung saan talaga nanggaling ang problema at sino ang tunay na nakinabang. At para matapos na ang paulit-ulit na narrative na ‘Duterte ang may kasalanan kahit saan ang anomalya,” Duterte said.

The Davao City lawmaker questioned why Tinio was allegedly singling out Davao City. He claimed that other districts in the country had large funds for flood control.

“Kung totoong objective si Tinio, bakit hindi niya sabay-sabay hinahabla ang mga distrito na may bilyon-bilyong flood control anomalies sa buong Pilipinas? Bakit ako lang? Bakit Davao lang? At bakit yung mga district na may P20B, P30B, P50B flood funds — hindi niya kayang banggitin?,” Duterte said.

Duterte said he had consistently coordinated with the DPWH to request audits, seek updates, and push for the completion of delayed projects.

He assured that he will submit all available documents during the hearing.

Duterte maintained that all projects in his district went through proper bidding and all finished projects were inspected, audited, and cleared by DPWH.

“In short, every peso that was allocated went through the process and spent in accordance with the guidelines laid out by law…documented lahat yan,” Duterte said.

“Sa mga taga-Unang Distrito ng Davao City: klaro ni — walay proyekto nga akong gikawatan, walay kwarta nga akong gi-bulsa, ug walay kontrata nga akong gi-maneobra,” he added.