The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) was unable to deliver 59 flood control projects within the contract period as of end-2021, according to the latest agency audit report by the Commission on Audit (COA).
MMDA personnel cleaning the flood pump at the Cubao underpass
An Inquirer article cites the report, with 20 projects worth Php 635.54 million remaining unfinished from their 2021 target dates due to procurement delays. Out of this number, 17 projects are ongoing, two have yet to be started, while one is still undergoing contract revisions. These were part of the 94 projects amounting to Php 1.408 billion under the Flood Control and Sewerage Management Office (FCSMO). The remaining 74 projects have been completed.
Another 39 projects, with a total cost of Php 590.48 million, reportedly overshot their deadlines significantly on account of inadequate planning and coordination among the concerned agencies. The COA said that 20 of these projects were completed in 2021 after being behind schedule by as much as 716 days or almost two years.
The agency says that its declogging operations are ongoing
The COA report adds that the MMDA received Php 809.86 million in loans from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank for the bulk of the Metro Manila Flood Management Project Phase 1 (MMFMP Phase 1), but that only Php 48.61 million in funds have been disbursed.
A separate report from CNN Philippines also citing the COA findings said that the MMDA failed to complete Php 1.885 billion in traffic-related projects for 2021, including the construction and rehabilitation of pedestrian footbridges as well as installing and replacing LED streetlights.
In response, the MMDA reported that the flood control projects flagged by the COA have been substantially completed as of 2022. According to MMDA FCSMO head Baltazar Melgar, the agency’s flood mitigation projects are operational.
Let's hope that the MMDA's efforts will be sufficient during this rainy season
“Now that we are slowly returning to normal following the easing of COVID restrictions, we are reassessing our processes to ensure the completion of our flood control projects,” he said, adding that the projects flagged by the COA need only minor improvements such as pipe-laying as well as drainage and riverbank repairs.
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