RPPe On unfunded Davao City flood control plan: Lawmaker say what happened to 33 years of Duterte rule?

A leader of the Young Guns in the House of Representatives is questioning why Vice President Sara Duterte is blaming the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for what she described as an unfunded Davao City anti-flood program when the Dutertes have ruled over the city for over 33 years and counting.

“Yung issue kasi doon sa flood control project dun sa Davao, parang hindi naman po yata tama na sisihin mo yung national government sa pagbaha doon … Bakit? Tingnan ho natin, magkakaroon lang po tayo ng brief history: ilang taon po ba sa panunungkulan ang pamilya Duterte sa Davao City? Kung hindi po ako nagkakamali 33 years,” said Ako Bicol Rep. Raul Angelo “Jil” Bongalon.

Bongalon also disclosed during the daily briefings in the House of Representatives that Davao City has one of the largest shares in the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) among cities in the whole of the Philippines.

“At ang alam ko po ang Davao City ay isa sa may pinakamalaking IRA or the Internal Revenue Allotment or ngayon po ‘yung tinatawag na National Tax Allotment. Doon pa lang po sa budget na yun, pwede po nilang pondohan yung flood control project at bakit mo isisisisi sa kasalukuyang administrasyon?” he asked.

VP Duterte indirectly blamed the Marcos administration for not funding the Davao anti-flood masterplan and asked if this was because a Duterte is serving as mayor, referring to her brother Baste Duterte.

Bongalon said that in fact, VP Duterte’s other brother Davao City Rep. Pulong Duterte has infrastructure allocations totaling P51 billion during the last three years of their father’s term, former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

“Ito po lumabas na po ito, January of this year, galing po mismo kay USec. Catrina Cabral ng DPWH, ang pondo po ng distrito Congressman Pulong Duterte last congress ay umabot po ng P51 billion. Ngayon ang tanong, saan po ba napunta doon? Parte po ba nun ay napunta sa flood control project?” Bongalon said.

“Yun naman po ‘yung tanong ko sa kanila. P51 billion, imagine, with that huge amount of public funds bakit hindi po na-address ‘yung baha sa Davao? So, nasaan po? Anong proyekto ang napapuntahan po na sinabing napakalaking pera or pondo ng bayan?” he said.

“So, I guess bago po tayo magturo dapat tinignan man lang muna nila kung ano ang kanilang ginawa para ma-address at ma-resolbahan ng isyu pong ito,” he added. (END)