Amid flood control projects scandal
TACLOBAN CITY — Responding to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call for tighter local government involvement in national infrastructure projects — especially controversial flood-control initiatives — the Leyte provincial board has passed an ordinance giving LGUs stronger authority to approve or reject externally initiated projects within their jurisdiction.
The newly approved “LGU Acceptance and Spatially-Aligned Project Governance Ordinance of Leyte,” sponsored by Board Members Ronnan Christian Reposar and Carlo Loreto, requires mandatory LGU endorsement, consultation with affected communities, and strict compliance with local land use, zoning, disaster risk reduction, and climate resiliency plans before any project can begin.
“This ordinance reinforces the Local Government Code and safeguards the integrity of local plans,” the proponents said, stressing that it ensures local development priorities are not undermined by outside interventions.
President Marcos recently ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to coordinate more closely with LGUs after complaints surfaced nationwide over flood-control and other large-scale projects being implemented without local consent.
Violators face penalties including fines of up to P5,000 per person, suspension of permits, and possible blacklisting from future engagements.
Provincial officials said the measure is a proactive step to ensure that national and donor-funded projects support — rather than disrupt — local planning, climate preparedness, and community safety.
Several local government units in Leyte, notably Matag-ob, have complaints that they were not consulted when flood control projects were constructed on their respective areas.
They also claimed that these projects turned out to be ghost projects. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are conducting this controversy.
The President himself created the Independent Commission for Infrastructures (ICI) to look into multi-billion peso controversy.
JOEY A. GABIETA
