Quezon city: The Quezon City government has sounded the alarm over the more than PHP14 billion worth of flood control projects in the city, which were carried out without permits and coordination from the local government. At a press conference on Friday, Mayor Joy Belmonte expressed frustrations over what she said were anomalous flood control projects in the city, citing an audit of 93 flood control projects and 1,652 Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects from 2021 to 2025.

According to Philippines News Agency, City Engineer Mark Dale Peral reported that based on the inspection report and findings on the inspected projects, 43 were verified on site as completed, five projects were declared as completed but inspection revealed that ongoing construction works were still being done, while 45 projects were verified as ongoing. Peral explained that out of the 1,652 projects across the city implemented by the DPWH, only 315 actually were submitted for purposes of certificate of coordination.

Peral highlighted that while meetings with national government agencies occur, only 315 projects have been presented to the city government. Of these, only 138 were approved, leaving 1,337 projects without an application for a certificate of coordination. The disapproval was based on projects located on non-buildable sites like the Matalahib Creek pumping station, the Santa Cruz pumping station, and the Mariblo Creek pumping station, which violate the National Building Code and the Water Code of the Philippines.

Mayor Belmonte pointed out irregularities found in the inspected projects, such as 16 projects with identical contract costs and 25 with identical budgets. She noted projects mislabeled, mislocated, or declared complete but still under construction, including the PHP350-million pumping station at Matalahib Creek that worsens floods by cutting water flow by 70 percent, and a San Juan River project split into 66 phases.

City Legal Officer Carlo Lopez Austria warned that if violations are proven, both officials and contractors could face administrative cases like grave misconduct, or even criminal liability. Meanwhile, Belmonte is advocating for better coordination and reforms in the implementation of flood control and other infrastructure projects, pledging full cooperation with Malaca±ang's probe and urging legislative action to strengthen local government roles and enhance coordination with national agencies.