‘Where did P1.2-B in DAP-funded flood control projects go?’

With P1.2 billion worth of Disbursement Acceleration Program funds going to flood control projects, how come portions of Metro Manila still get flooded in just minutes of heavy rain?

The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) on Wednesday called for an accounting and audit of flood control projects funded by the DAP, which was declared partially unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in July.

BAYAN  secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr. said they are calling for a "proper accounting and audit of so many flood control projects funded under the corruption-tainted pork barrel system."

 

"Senators, congressmen and local officials spent P1.2 billion for various flood control projects nationwide," he said, adding that the Department of Public Works and Highways even has its own DAP-funded flood control projects.

 

According to the Computer Professionals Union (CPU), an organization composed of IT professionals, the second biggest DAP funds went to flood control systems at P1.25 billion, followed by livelihood projects at P1.19 billion.

 

Reyes said House Majority Leader Mandaluyong Representative Neptali Gonzales placed P62 million of his DAP allocations for flood control projects.

 

Despite the funding, Reyes said Mandaluyong continued to suffer flooding.
 

"It is high time that a proper accounting and audit of all these so-called flood control projects be undertaken by the national government," Reyes said.

"Hundreds of millions of pesos from the DAP and even the PDAF were used for flood projects, yet every time heavy rains pour, Metro Manila is flooded, traffic is a standstill, and commuters and motorists suffer," he added. —NB, GMA News