Duterte ally and former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has declared that flood-control efforts in Davao City are working, posting the claim on social media even as the metropolis reeled from one of its worst deluges of the year.
“Baha sa Davao City mabilis na bumaba ang tubig. Patunay na epektibo ang proyekto,” Roque wrote in a Facebook post, telling followers that floodwaters in the city receded quickly and calling this proof that the project is effective. The post drew tens of thousands of reactions, a large share of them the platform’s laughing emoji.
The timing placed Roque’s assessment at odds with conditions on the ground. Heavy rains from the southwest monsoon, enhanced by Severe Tropical Storm Kiyapo, triggered severe flooding across Davao City on the night of Friday, July 24, 2026. Water rose to nearly rooftop height in several communities after the Talomo River overflowed, inundating Los Amigos, Matina, Bangkal, and Talomo proper.
Roughly 300 people were rescued as rivers spilled over and submerged residential areas, with residents photographed stranded on rooftops in Taal, Bangkal. Several houses were damaged and vehicles and motorcycles were swept away. Among the flooded homes was that of former president Rodrigo Duterte along Taal Street in Bangkal.
Roque, who served as spokesperson to the elder Duterte and has remained a fixture in the family’s defense, did not identify which specific flood-control project he was referring to.
His post landed amid a widening national reckoning over flood-control spending. Davao City, a Duterte bailiwick, received P51 billion for flood control between 2019 and 2022 and has been folded into the House inquiry into alleged irregularities in flood-mitigation projects. In December 2025, contractors were arrested over a P96.5-million ghost flood-control project in Davao Occidental.
The latest flooding has sharpened those questions. ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio urged the Office of the Ombudsman to fast-track its investigation into alleged anomalies in Davao City flood-control projects, arguing the damage to homes and property could have been prevented had billions not allegedly been lost to ghost and questionable undertakings. He called for physical verification of projects along the Davao and Matina rivers.
Malacañang, meanwhile, moved to send aid regardless of the city’s political alignment. Palace press officer Claire Castro said the Department of Social Welfare and Development stood ready to provide food packs to displaced families, while the Department of Public Works and Highways prepared to help repair damaged structures. Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon inspected a collapsed section of the Bukidnon-Davao Road and ordered a long-term structural fix for the highway.
