The government is tightening its evaluation process for flood control projects following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive in his State of the Nation Address (SONA), a senior official said on Tuesday.
Marcos in his Monday speech instructed the relevant government agencies to scrutinize unfinished, failed, or questionable infrastructure works.
Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Rosemarie Edillon said on Tuesday the Regional Project Monitoring Committee (RPMC) will immediately prioritize the review of flood mitigation initiatives once the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) submits its official list.
“This is now a top agenda item for the RPMC, especially after the president’s call to action,” Edillon said during the 2025 Post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussions in San Juan City.
In his fourth SONA on Monday, Marcos tasked the DPWH to submit a complete inventory of flood control projects across the country.
He ordered the RPMC to identify projects that were left unfinished, failed to deliver their objectives, or are suspected to be “ghost projects.”
The president also vowed that accountability would follow in cases of negligence or misuse of public funds.
Edillon said while project monitoring is a standing function of the RPMC, the large volume of infrastructure programs may have overwhelmed the system, leaving some projects unchecked.
“With the president’s directive, we’re now applying a stricter prioritization process based on the DPWH list,” she said.
Edillon added that while awaiting the list, the RPMC will review and update its internal protocols within the Regional Development Group to strengthen evaluation mechanisms. Coordination with technical experts and engineers is underway to refine the criteria for review.
“Ultimately, physical site visits will be crucial. That remains the only reliable way to verify whether a project exists and is functioning as intended,” Edillon said.
