Despite budget allocation for infrastructure projects, Dabawenyo residents question the budget utilization amid persistent flooding issues in Davao City.

Flooding in numerous areas in the city has stranded commuters and submerged houses, prompting concerns over flood control projects’ effectiveness and existence.

Manila 6th District Representative Bienvenido “Benny” Abante pointed out last August that Davao City received a P51-billion budget allocation for infrastructure projects, including flood control, under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) from 2020 to 2022.

However, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Davao Region later clarified that P49.8 billion was appropriated for infrastructure projects from 2020 to 2022, with about P9.12 billion set aside for flood control projects specifically.

In response, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte claimed that there are no ghost and substandard projects in the city.

“Sa Davao City, sinuyod ninyo lahat—papeles, proyekto, audit hanggang huling pako. Resulta? Walang ghost at walang substandard. Nagpagod lang kayo para magpabida,” Duterte said in a Facebook post last September 30.

Regardless, residents reported their concerns about their personal experiences of flooding in Davao City.

Cabantian resident Diane* revealed that the residents around their area are still affected by the flooding problem, especially when travelling to and from their residences.

“Dugay na siya ing-ana. Even if elevated ang Cabantian area, there are also areas na sa baba gyud… ang imong main agianan padulong gyud sa Cabantian… Pag stranded na nang mga jeep diha, wala na mi masakyan.”

Diane* also mentioned several unfinished roads and flood control projects in Cabantian, which have shown no visible results despite lasting years..

“Lately, naa sila’y gibuslutan dira sa may Buhangin Memorial Park area sa tunga sa dalan na pila na ka-months. I don’t know what they’re doing there… I think it’s something for the septic tank, but as we can see, baha gihapon.”

Similar sentiments rang true among residents in other parts of Davao, as Skye*, a resident of Barangay Tibungco, expressed doubts about the actual use of the budget allocation, given the flooding that occurs on the main highway after moderate to heavy rainfall.

“With the recent issues our country faces, it makes me wonder if the budget was truly not enough to cater to the entirety of the city’s flood management control, or was the money spent on something not in line with its purpose? It upsets me to think how these billions of pesos could have been used for what it was intended to be, but unfortunately may have already fallen into the hands of the unjust.”

Diane* also emphasized the need for transparent reporting of flood control expenses as “nothing is happening” despite ongoing projects.

“Dapat makabalo man ta pila ang allocation para makit-an namo if naa jud mo’y nabuhat. The action speaks for itself. So if dili ninyo ipakita ang expenses ninyo isa-isa, makita man gihapon namo by how everything’s going.”

The City Engineering Office has identified 265 areas in the city as “severely affected” by street flooding.

According to the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), 140 of these areas are in the First District, 69 in the Second District, and 56 in the Third District.

Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) noted that the city’s flood-prone areas were once tidal marshes, swamps, and natural catch basins.

“Decades of unchecked urban development have reclaimed, converted, and altered these ecosystems, resulting in a staggering 95% loss of wetlands since 1945 in Davao City,” the group said in a statement.

With this, IDIS proposed a nature-based solution that includes watershed protection, mangrove rehabilitation, and the restoration of wetlands and estuarine marshes.

Editor’s note: Names marked with asterisks are pseudonyms used at the request of the interviewees. This article was first issued in the December 2025 First Semester Newsletter of Atenews.