SENATOR Panfilo M. Lacson urged civil engineers to organize forensic assessment teams to inspect flood control projects, roads and bridges and identify structural or implementation failures.
“We can call on associations of civil engineers to help in the inspection of infrastructure, including those damaged by recent floods,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “They can use forensics to determine if the damage stemmed from faulty structural design or implementation.”
Mr. Lacson said the assessments could help the government hold Public Works officials and project proponents accountable for failed infrastructure. Projects built as far back as five years ago should also be examined for structural weaknesses, he said.
The senator also called for continuity in flood control master plans, saying projects should be implemented across administrations rather than replaced whenever a new government takes office.
“I recall Singson crafting a master plan that was cost-efficient and systematic,” he said, referring to former Public Works Secretary Rogelio L. Singson, who developed a flood control plan under the late President Benigno S.C. Aquino III.
“But when there was a change in administration, that plan was discarded. This has been the pattern where each administration insists on having its own master plan,” he added.
About P1.939 trillion was allocated for flood control projects from 2011 to 2025, based on data from General Appropriations Acts, Mr. Lacson said.
The proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program allocates P107.4 billion for flood control under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The government excluded flood control funding from the 2026 national budget after a multibillion-peso controversy erupted in 2025 involving several DPWH officials and contractors.
Southwest monsoon rains have flooded several areas in Luzon, with water levels in parts of Metro Manila reaching knee-deep or higher.
Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, who heads the Finance committee, earlier said the body would conduct a transparent review of the 2027 spending plan.
“If a budget item cannot be clearly explained and justified to the public, then it should not be funded with public money,” Mr. Ejercito told BusinessWorld in a Viber message on Tuesday. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel