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This aerial photo shows damaged houses in the aftermath of Typhoon Tino in Talisay, in Cebu province on November 5, 2025. Jam Sta. Rosa, AFPMANILA — Looking at the scale of flooding and devastation in Cebu following the onslaught of Typhoon Tino, which has already claimed more than 90 lives, it seems difficult to believe that the province has received more than P26 billion in flood control funds over the last three years.
Data from the Sumbong sa Pangulo website shows that 414 flood control projects worth P26.7 billion were constructed across Cebu Province from 2022 to 2025—figures that even incumbent Governor Pamela Baricuatro is now questioning.
READ: Death toll due to 'Tino' tops 100 as Philippines digs out after typhoon
“Bakit ganun? P26-plus billion yung ano dito, flood control funds, and yet ito yung nangyayari sa amin? It was by far the worst flash flood caused by a typhoon in the history of Cebu. In less than 10 minutes, the water rose dramatically. People (did not have) enough time tumakbo,” she said in an interview on ANC’s Headstart.
According to Baricuatro, the hardest-hit areas include Consolacion, Talisay City, Mandaue City, Liloan, and Danao City.
Incidentally, except for Danao City, these storm-ravaged areas rank among the top 20 cities and municipalities with the most number of flood control projects in Cebu between 2022 and 2025.
SOURCE: SUMBONG SA PANGULO WEBSITE/ABS-CBN NEWS RESEARCH AND VERIFICATION UNIT
SOURCE: SUMBONG SA PANGULO WEBSITE/ABS-CBN NEWS RESEARCH AND VERIFICATION UNIT
In Consolacion alone, there are 28 flood control projects worth nearly P2.1 billion, while Talisay has 21 flood control projects amounting to more than P2 billion.
Eighteen flood control projects, worth over P1.3 billion, were recorded in Mandaue City.
As for Liloan, it has five flood control projects amounting to nearly P400 million.
But the question is: Do they work? Or do they even exist?
Governor Baricuatro claims that, based on the inspections the provincial government has done since she took office in May, almost all flood control structures in Cebu are either ghost projects or substandard.
She also believes that corruption in flood control projects in Cebu dates back to 2019, or during the previous Duterte administration.
READ: Palace urges Baricuatro to help gov’t probe flood control projects in Cebu since 2016
“I think it’s for the ICI (Independent Commission for Infrastructure) to divulge the information that we have submitted (to them). But definitely, we have seen projects here in the province na, I should say, mga ghost projects. We have seen substandard projects as well,” she said.
Malacañang is urging Baricuatro to work with the national government in investigating the matter.
“Kung mayroon po siya pang mga alam, may mga facts, may mga data rin po si Gov. Baricuatro na makakatulong sa ating gobyerno para mapanagot ang dapat mapanagot, iyan po ay welcome,” said Palace Press Officer Claire Castro in a briefing.
TOP FLOOD CONTROL CONTRACTORS
Records also showed that the contractors who cornered the most flood control projects in Cebu are QM Builders, which was already earlier flagged by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Quirante Construction Corporation.
SOURCE: SUMBONG SA PANGULO WEBSITE/ABS-CBN NEWS RESEARCH AND VERIFICATION UNIT
QM Builders bagged 94 contracts worth P7.6 billion, while Quirante Construction Corporation won 43 contracts amounting to P3.4 billion.
Both firms are owned by members of the Quirante family.
But Quirante Construction Corporation, in a statement issued last September, has denied having any ghost or substandard projects.
“We assure the public that our company has never engaged, and will never engage, in substandard work or so-called ghost projects. Every undertaking we accept is carried out with the earnest intent to serve communities and to build with integrity,” it said.
It also insisted that although their owners are related to the Quirantes of QM Builders, it is an independent and distinct company.
“We have our own management, undertake our own projects, and uphold our own standards of transparency, accountability, and quality,” it added.
At present, 421 alleged ghost projects across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are being investigated by the ICI, though it’s not yet clear if the allegedly anomalous projects in Cebu are among them.
“I have to check kung meron talaga diyan,” said ICI Executive Director Brian Hosaka when asked about the issue.
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