President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivering his State of the Nation Address.*
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that the government will construct more modern evacuation centers to house evacuees during calamities and will investigate failed flood control projects.
“Our schools should no longer be used as evacuation centers,” Marcos said in his State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 28.
However, he did not specify the locations for these new centers or if any would be built in areas affected by Kanlaon Volcano’s unrest in Negros Occidental.
Reacting to the SONA, Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) expressed his hope that evacuation centers would be built for the Kanlaon evacuees.
Marcos said that among the 24 volcanoes in the country, four are currently erupting, “especially Kanlaon in Negros.”
“We must not stop our preparations, because the threat continues to exist,” he urged.
“To our countrymen: none of our preparations will be successful without your help”, the president said.
Marcos called for public cooperation in large-scale drills, compliance with warnings and instructions such as immediate evacuation and avoidance of “danger zones.”
Marcos emphasized the government’s diligent preparation and monitoring against the threat of disasters and calamities.
“This July, four typhoons have already passed through us. PAGASA says that about 12 more are threatening to enter the country until December,” he said.
To combat corruption in infrastructure projects, Marcos revealed he has ordered an audit and performance review of all flood control structures.
“Recently, I inspected the effects of the southwest monsoon, Typhoons Crising, Dante, and Emong. I can clearly see that many flood control projects are sloppy and have collapsed and others are just fantasies,” he said.
“Let’s stop pretending. The entire public knows that there is racketeering in the projects,” he said, adding that those responsible should be ashamed..
To prevent future occurrences, the Department of Public Works and Highways has been directed to immediately submit a list of all flood control projects from every region that were started or completed in the last three years.
Marcos said that the Regional Project Monitoring Committee will examine this list and provide a report on failures, unfinished projects, and alleged “ghost projects.”
“We will publish this list so the public can freely review it and share what they know to help our investigation,” he added. “All those who emerge as guilty from the investigation will be charged, including the complicit contractors across the country.”
“The public needs to know the full truth. Someone needs to be held accountable for the severe damage and corruption that has occurred,” Marcos said.
On the 2026 National Budget, Marcos warned that he would return any proposed General Appropriations Bill not fully aligned with the National Expenditure Program.
“I am willing to do this even if we end up with a reenacted budget,” he said*