‘Waste of taxpayers’ money’: Caloocan residents slam ‘useless’ drainage projects
MANILA, Philippines – Since the southwest monsoon or habagat began last May, residents of Caloocan City have again borne the brunt of what they describe as “substandard” infrastructure projects in their communities.
In June, as heavy rains inundated parts of Metro Manila, the Batang SoCal Facebook page posted a photo of ankle-deep flooding in Libis Espina Street where the road and drainage system had just been “rehabilitated.”
In the comments section of the post, Caloocan residents took turns lambasting the P9.6-million road rehabilitation and drainage system (Phase 3) project in Libis Espina carried out by Dreamworx Builder and Trading Incorporated. The project is situated between Barangay 14 and Barangay 16.
Vegetable and fruit vendor Karen Libiran shared their sentiment. “Nagsasayang lang [sila] ng pera. Hindi rin nawawala ‘yung baha sa pag-aayos nila,” she told Rappler when asked about the recent project in the community.
(They’re just wasting money. The flooding remains even after they finished the project.)
“‘Yun ‘yung purpose ng pag-aayos nila di ba? Para mawala ‘yung baha. E ganoon din e, wala rin namang nangyayari,” Libiran added.
(That’s the purpose of the rehabilitation, right? To prevent flooding. But it’s still the same.)
Libiran’s sister-in-law, fellow vendor Jessica Santiago, said there was some improvement in the appearance of the street gutters but the flooding problem was not addressed.
“Umayos nga ‘yung kanal pero hindi nawala ‘yung baha,” Santiago told Rappler. (The street gutter improved but the flooding is still there.)
Impact on livelihood
For fish vendor Liza Cadiz, nothing has improved in the area of Libis Espina Street, Barangay 14, Caloocan, where she sells her wares. Waist-level flooding is a regular occurrence whenever there’s prolonged heavy rains, hampering their livelihood.
“Malaking epekto talaga kasi bukod sa bumabaha, hindi kami makatinda, wala rin kaming mapakyaw. Walang pakyaw, e [kapag] may bagyo. Matumal talaga,” she told Rappler in an interview.
(It hugely affects us because aside from flooding, we can’t sell, we can’t buy in bulk. There’s no wholesale because of a typhoon. Business is really slow.)
Whenever she learns that there will be bad weather, Cadiz would opt to stay at home. There was a time, she said, when her table piled with fish floated and got swept away by floodwater.
She said the project was supposed to fix the flooding problem but nothing was solved, raising questions about the construction and funds for that project.
Pedicab driver Lolito Layson said nothing changed in the area where he waits for passengers, despite seeing Libis Espina Street being rehabilitated almost every year.
Flooding affects his livelihood, as passengers would choose tricycles that can better navigate flooded streets. Those who pick him would have to squat on their seats to keep themselves dry.
Asked about the rehabilitation project, Layson said it looked okay on the surface but when put to the test, the drainage system could not handle the volume of water. The flooding situation, he said, remained the same.
The rehabilitation project was 96.72% accomplished according to the transparency website of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The DPWH transparency website shows proof of accomplishment of the project as well, but it only in the Libis Extension alley, which is in Barangay 16. This road floods even when it’s not raining. Authorities only budged after public complaints and social media posts.
According to a DPWH project billboard, the project was supposed to have started in March 2025 and completed months after, in August 2025.
But residents, including tricycle drivers, pedicab drivers, and vendors in the community whom Rappler talked to echoed Batang SoCal’s Facebook post that the project only began construction in February this year and was completed in July.
Contractor addresses concerns, criticism
Dreamworx president Antonio Hernandez responded to the questions raised against the project in a statement sent to Rappler on Tuesday, August 4, among them, that the project started only in February 2026. He dismissed this as “categorically false” and “directly contradicted by official records.”
“Barangay permits authorizing the implementation of the project were issued on 19 August 2025, and construction activities commenced immediately thereafter. These records clearly establish that project implementation had already begun several months prior to February 2026,” Hernandez said.
He added that the company took into consideration the concern of barangay officials and residents about the project, particularly the road elevation in the approved plan which would risk flooding in the surrounding areas.
Dreamworx submitted the requested modification to the DPWH. “Pending the DPWH’s technical evaluation and resolution of the issues raised, construction activities affecting the concerned portion of the project were necessarily suspended,” Hernandez said.
He said the project encountered additional delays when it had to suspend construction activities in compliance to a DPWH and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority memorandum on road re-blocking operations.
Hernandez also cited “challenges” in carrying out the project as “certain individuals opposed the temporary traffic management measures necessary for the safe execution of the works.” This included the unauthorized removal of safety barricades to protect the work area, he said.
“Consequently, vehicles traversed newly placed concrete pavement before the expiration of the required curing period, resulting in premature surface deterioration, including scaling, tire marks, footprints, and other physical defects. The curing process was further adversely affected by water splashing onto the fresh concrete from nearby commercial establishments,” Hernandez said.
Addressing criticisms about the newly built canal, Hernandez explained that continued flooding experienced during heavy rains is “primarily due to the pre-existing condition of the old drainage infrastructure and the blockage caused by accumulated waste, both of which are beyond the scope of the newly constructed drainage facility.”
“The obstruction of the existing drainage line, compounded by the significant accumulation of solid waste within the drainage system, substantially impeded the natural flow of stormwater, resulting in the temporary inundation of the area during periods of intense rainfall,” Hernandez said.
DPWH responds
Asked to comment on residents’ complaints over the project, the DPWH Metro Manila 3rd District Engineering Office (DEO) said in a statement sent to Rappler that Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon directed an inspection of the area to address the community’s concerns.
“Following reports of flooding caused by improper waste disposal and pavement scaling due to the premature removal of barricades along sections during the curing period, Secretary Vince Dizon immediately directed the District Engineering Office to inspect the area and identify the necessary corrective measures,” the Metro Manila 3rd DEO said.
“The DPWH assures the public and Caloocan residents that the contractor is undertaking the necessary repairs and restoration works at no additional cost to the government while the Department closely monitors the project to ensure its timely completion and minimize traffic disruption,” it added.
The DEO said that the rehabilitation project is implemented in three phases — Phase 1 in 2017, Phase 2 in 2024, and Phase 3 in 2026 “which included pavement concreting, drainage improvements, and road reblocking.”
Elevated road, flooded homes
Nearby barangays 16 and 18, where there is an ongoing road and drainage project, have had the same experience. During the onslaught of habagat, floodwaters entered some homes, including that of 65-year-old Rose Marie de Chavez who has lived there for the last three decades.
Residents blamed the flooding on the unfinished road and drainage project along Tamban Street, which covers barangays 16, 18, 20, and 22, and to street gutters clogged by garbage and silt.
Asked about the project, De Chavez said: “Pinagawa nga, palpak naman. Lalo kaming binaha. Maganda pa ‘yung dating kalsada [na] medyo mababa, hindi kami pinapasok ng tubig. Ngayon tinaasan nga e lalo namang binaha.”
(There’s a project, but it’s faulty. Flooding is even worse. The original level of the road before was better, as floodwater didn’t reach our home. Now that the road was elevated, flooding got worse.)
In 2024, the DPWH 3rd District Engineering Office implemented a P38.8 million road and drainage rehabilitation to mitigate flooding in the area. Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor & Development Corporation, owned by detained businesswoman Sarah Discaya, was the contractor.
The project is ongoing, according to the DPWH transparency website. We reached out to the DWPH about the unfinished project. We will update this story once they respond.
Asked to comment on residents’ complaints on perennial flooding in the community, the City Planning and Development Department said in a statement sent to Rappler that addressing the flooding issue requires “coordinated and long-term interventions involving various government agencies and stakeholders.”
“Changing rainfall patterns associated with climate variability, continuing urban development, and the increase in impervious surfaces may affect the performance of portions of the existing drainage system during periods of heavy rainfall,” the CPDD said.
“The effectiveness of drainage systems may also be affected by factors such as the improper disposal of solid waste, obstructions within waterways, and encroachments along drainage easements,” it added.
It also cited its Integrated Urban Flood Management framework, which “promotes the integration of land use planning, drainage and flood control infrastructure, environmental management, disaster risk reduction, and institutional governance.”
Root of the problem
Libis Espina, Barangay 14, Barangay 16, and Barangay 18 are part the Dagat-Dagatan area, which spans portions of Caloocan, Malabon, and Navotas. The whole area was such named as it used to look like a virtual sea with private fishponds that were connected to Manila Bay. The first Marcos government expropriated the fishponds and reclaimed the area for a pet project of Imelda Marcos, who was human settlements minister at the time, according to a paper published by the Ateneo de Manila University.
The purpose of this reclaimed area was to make way for a “massive low-cost housing project” that was pursued despite warnings of massive flooding in surrounding areas without proper mitigation systems in place. As predicted, the project led to flooding in Malabon and other areas because the natural waterways were plugged in — a problem that persists to this day.
Eventually, Caloocan became one of the most flood-prone cities in Metro Manila. Twenty barangays in the city, including Barangay 14, have been identified as areas that are at “very high risk” of flooding by 2020 and 2030, according to a study published in the Journal of Urban and Regional Planning.
Rappler earlier reported that decades of costly flood-mitigation infrastructure have failed to provide relief to Caloocan residents. – Rappler.com
Eunicito Barreno is a 2026 Aries Rufo Fellow. He is a senior journalism student at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he is also news staffer at the Philippine Collegian, the university’s official student publication.
