Lawmaker seeks fast-track probe of Davao flood projects after deadly storm

Tinio also challenged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to address the issue in his fifth State of the Nation Address, though he expressed doubt it would come up. "Supposedly it should be one of the things we should hear in the 5th SONA of President Marcos Jr. but witnesses and evidence point to him as the biggest fish in the flood control scandal, I doubt that he will do so," he said.

The NDRRMC reported that as of 8 a.m. July 26, Kiyapo had affected 59,987 families or 285,172 individuals. Fifty-one evacuation centers remain open, sheltering 10,405 people. The storm damaged 261 houses, 91 of them totally destroyed. Government assistance reached P5,515,862.

Tinio urged the Ombudsman to prioritize physical verification of projects reported as 100 percent complete but still listed as ongoing. He said the gap between reported completion and actual status suggests funds may have been released for work that was never done, leaving flood defenses incomplete when the storm hit.

The probe covers contracts along the Davao and Matina rivers, two waterways that overflowed during Kiyapo. Tinio said investigators should determine whether the projects were properly budgeted, bid out, and inspected, and whether any official signed off on payments for incomplete work.

The Ombudsman has not set a timeline for completing the investigation. Tinio said the fast-track request is meant to prevent further loss of life during the next typhoon season.

"The same pattern – ghost projects, double funding, unfinished infrastructure – could repeat if no one is held accountable," he said. The NDRRMC said disaster response operations and damage assessments are continuing.