Fiscal controls, procurement compliance, and LGU reporting mechanisms face heightened national scrutiny as the government deploys multi-billion peso disaster relief allocations amid past infrastructure irregularities.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday said the Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistant Program (DRRAP) fund should go directly to its intended projects and progams to ensure the welfare of the public, as he warned that the full force of the law would be slapped against those who would continue to engage in corruption including pursuing ghost projects, seek commissions or use substandard materials.
The President, during the turnover of DRRAP funds to dfferent local government units (LGUs), urged the local executives to help make sure that that recovery reaches every Filipino in need and to use the funds “wisely and serve our people with the honesty, the diligence that they deserve”.
“Pera po ito ng taumbayan at para ito sa mga kababayan nating nasalanta. Hindi ito pondo para pagkakitaan at hindi rin ito pondo para sinumang gustong magpayaman sa gitna ng ating mga nararamdaman na trahedya (This is the people’s money, intended for our fellow citizens who have been struck by disaster. It is not a fund for profit, nor is it meant for anyone seeking to enrich themselves amidst the tragedies we are currently enduring),” Marcos said.
“There must be no room for corruption in this program. Bawal ang ghost projects. Bawal ang mga komisyon. Bawal mga substandard na rehabilitation projects. Anyone who tries to profit from the suffering of our fellow Filipinos will face the full force of the law (There must be no room for corruption in this program. No ghost projects. No commission. Substandard rehabilitation projects are not allowed. Anyone who tries to profit from the suffering of our fellow Filipinos will face the full force of the law),” Marcos also added.
In his 2025 state of the nation address, the President exposed alleged irregularities involving flood control programs which included ghost projects, incomplete projects, use of substandard materials, and practice of kickbacks or commission collections.
Marcos said LGUs should carry out their mandate with excellence and with integrity, to strengthnen their capacity especially in documenting and reporting disaster impacts to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) as the timely and comprehensive reporting by the local executives will enable the national government to understand ground-level situations, to assess the communities’ needs, and to deliver targeted assistance.
Marcos also said LGUs should ensure efficiency and its responsiveness in emergencies and rehabilitations, as he acknowledged that there are still gaps in the implementation of the different recovery and rehabilitation programs.
The President said the government has approved P8.6 billion under DRRAP for 306 LGUs that were heavily affected by typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions from 2024 to 2026 to allow local officials to identify and prioritize rehabilitation projects based on the actual needs of their communities.
Marcos also said P6 billion of DRRAP had already been released while the P2.5 billion is still being processed.
The assistance covers damaged roads, bridges, schools, health facilities, evacuation centers, farms, and housing.
The assistance given to the different LGUs ranged from P5 million to P100 million which was based on requests for assitance sought by the calamity and disaster-stricken cities, municioalities or prorvinces.
Naga City Mayor, and former vice president, Leni Robredo said there wass no politics involved in the distribution of DRRAP which was based on the requests made by the LGUs.
“Siguro iyung best evidence na no political color yung attendance kanina. Makikita natin na from different political parties naman yung nandun, different political affiliations (The best evidence that there is no political color is the attendance. You can see that they are from different political parties, different political affiliations,” Robredo said.
She said Naga received P20 million under the DRRAP which will likely go to the drainage improvement program of the city.