Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte on Wednesday rejected allegations of irregularities in flood control projects within his district following claims by ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio.
“Every single flood control project along the Davao and Matina Rivers was implemented, inspected, and validated by the DPWH and the COA,” Duterte said.
“The structures exist. They are serving the people. They are not ‘ghosts’—unlike the kind of politics some people keep reviving every time they need attention.”
Tinio earlier alleged that around ₱4.35 billion worth of flood control projects in Davao’s 1st District were questionable, citing overlapping contracts and double funding from 2019 to 2022.
Duterte fired back, calling Tinio’s claims a “desperate and ignorant attempt” to smear Davao.
He challenged the lawmaker to personally visit and inspect the projects, saying, “Come to Davao, walk the riverbanks, see the projects, and talk to the people whose homes no longer flood because of those structures.”
The Davao solon also criticized the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) for allegedly sending “retired police recycled appointees and non-engineers” to inspect ongoing projects.
“Stop pretending this is a ‘national audit,’” Duterte said, adding that the group should send “real engineers, not political operators.”
The DPWH and ICI recently inspected one Davao City flood control project reported to have sustained damage just eight months after completion.