CANDABA, PAMPANGA — The spotlight on the Philippines’ controversial flood-control spending has now turned toward Candaba, Pampanga, where projects worth more than ₱1.4 billion have drawn questions and prompted calls for a deeper investigation.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been tapped to look into the questioned flood-control projects in the municipality, adding another layer to a nationwide probe into alleged irregularities involving government infrastructure spending.
The development comes after former Candaba mayor Jerry Pelayo raised questions about several projects along waterways in the municipality, particularly the Malisik River, arguing that some of the works appeared to warrant closer scrutiny.
But authorities have not declared the projects anomalous simply because they are being investigated. The probe is intended to establish the facts, determine whether procurement and implementation rules were followed, and identify whether public funds were misused.
The ₱1.4-billion question
Pelayo previously questioned several flood-control projects in the Malisik River area, pointing to multiple contracts carrying substantial allocations.
SunStar reported in August 2025 that Pelayo cited at least three projects in roughly the same river area, with combined allocations exceeding ₱1.4 billion. He questioned whether the type and scale of the works were appropriate for the communities they were supposed to protect.
Pelayo also called for scrutiny of a contractor he alleged had received a significant share of the projects.
Those claims, however, remain allegations requiring verification.
The DPWH Pampanga 1st District Engineering Office pushed back against the characterization of the projects as “ghost infrastructure,” saying the projects identified by Pelayo had gone through proper procedures.
That distinction is crucial: an investigation is not a finding of guilt.
Government records show multiple Candaba flood projects
Public procurement records show that Candaba has indeed been the site of numerous flood-mitigation projects.
For example, a DPWH procurement notice lists an ₱83.47-million project for slope protection along the Malisik River in Barangay Barangca, while other listed projects involved additional sections of the Malisik River and rehabilitation work along the Pampanga River in Candaba.
Another DPWH bidding notice for 2025 included a nearly ₱99.8-million project for construction of a concrete slope-protection structure at the Maasim River in Barangay Santo Cristo, Candaba.
These records demonstrate that substantial government money has been allocated for flood mitigation in the municipality—but they do not, by themselves, establish that the projects were anomalous.
That is precisely where the NBI investigation becomes significant.
Candaba’s flooding problem is far bigger than one project
Candaba sits within one of Central Luzon’s most flood-prone areas, with the Candaba Swamp playing a major role in the region’s water system.
The scale of the flooding problem has become increasingly visible during recent episodes of heavy rain and enhanced southwest monsoon conditions.
The Philippine Star reported that Pampanga officials have expressed concern about rising water levels around the Candaba Swamp and the resulting impact on communities and major transportation routes, including the North Luzon Expressway.
The province is now considering a broader flood-control strategy rather than relying solely on individual dikes and riverbank protection projects.
Pampanga now looking at bigger flood-control solutions
DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon recently met with Pampanga officials to discuss immediate, medium- and long-term measures for the province’s recurring flooding problem.
BusinessMirror reported that the plan includes temporary flood barriers, raising embankments, dredging waterways, pumping systems and repairs to damaged flood-control structures.
Officials are also studying detention basins in several municipalities, including Candaba, as part of a strategy to temporarily store excess water and release it gradually. Longer-term proposals include a possible Central Luzon-Pampanga floodway and a massive ring-dike system.
The government acknowledges that some of the larger infrastructure proposals could take years to complete.
A new idea: turning Candaba Swamp into a massive waterway
Adding another dimension to the discussion, the Department of Agriculture recently commissioned a ₱150-million feasibility study examining whether the Candaba Swamp could be developed into a large-scale water-storage, irrigation and agricultural transport network.
The proposal envisions canals potentially reaching 100 meters in width and 7 meters in depth, with the study expected to determine whether the concept is technically and financially viable.
GMA News reported that the proposed system could cover roughly 6,000 hectares and potentially redirect excess water while providing another transportation option for agricultural products.
The proposal underscores just how complicated Candaba’s flooding problem has become: the government is no longer looking only at individual flood-control structures but at how the entire landscape manages water.
The bigger flood-control scandal
The Candaba investigation comes amid a nationwide crackdown on alleged irregularities in flood-control projects.
The NBI has previously said it was investigating alleged ghost projects, substandard construction, questionable procurement and possible bid-rigging involving Department of Public Works and Highways projects.
In September 2025, then-NBI Director Jaime Santiago said investigators had detected indications of bid-rigging involving contractors that allegedly shared the same officers. The NBI said information gathered would be submitted to the Department of Justice.
The agency’s flood-control task force has continued under current NBI Director Melvin Matibag, who said in February 2026 that the special task force would be retained and its investigation would continue.
The investigation has since expanded across the country.
In September 2026, the NBI was also reported to be examining ₱1.9 billion worth of Davao City flood-control projects after records showed that the projects in one congressional district had been awarded to a single contractor. NBI Director Matibag stressed that investigators were looking at evidence and that an investigation could ultimately clear individuals as well as lead to charges if wrongdoing were established.
What happens next in Candaba?
The key question now is whether the NBI investigation will uncover evidence of overpricing, procurement violations, substandard construction, project duplication, misuse of funds—or whether the questioned projects can withstand scrutiny.
For residents of flood-prone Candaba, however, the issue goes beyond accounting records.
Every peso spent on flood-control infrastructure is supposed to translate into stronger protection for communities, farms, roads and livelihoods.
And with Pampanga continuing to search for a long-term answer to its flooding problem, the investigation could ultimately force authorities to confront a much bigger question:
If billions have already been spent on flood protection, why are communities in Pampanga still struggling to stay above the water?
That may be the question the NBI’s investigation is ultimately expected to help answer.
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