Deadly Flash Floods Claim 35 Lives in Liloan, Cebu
At least 35 people have died in Liloan, Cebu after Typhoon Tino unleashed the worst flash floods in the town’s history, Mayor Aljew Frasco confirmed on November 12, 2025. The catastrophic event has prompted a major government response, focusing on the performance of multi-billion peso flood control infrastructures.
Infrastructure Commission Launches Probe into P26B Projects
In response to the widespread and deadly flooding, The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) will inspect flood control projects in Cebu province. ICI Special Adviser Rodolfo Azurin Jr. announced the inspection in an interview before a high-command meeting at Camp Crame, Quezon City on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
The investigation, set to begin on Sunday, November 16, will concentrate on Central Cebu, including Cebu City and Mandaue City. Azurin emphasized the need to understand why severe flooding occurred despite massive funding. He referenced the Governor's statement, highlighting that over P26 billion was allocated for these projects.
"We will focus on Central Cebu, in Cebu City and Mandaue. As for the badly affected areas... we will look into why that happened despite the huge amount of funding that was allocated there," Azurin stated.
Scrutinizing Project Documents and Actual Implementation
According to records from the Department of Public Works and Highways, a significant number of flood control structures were built in the province:
- 343 flood control infrastructures were constructed from 2016 to 2022.
- 168 projects were initiated from 2023 to 2025.
The ICI is taking a methodical approach to its probe. Azurin revealed that they are now obtaining bid documents with the help of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), leveraging their subpoena power.
"We hope we can develop cases, definitely. For now, we are obtaining the bid documents... We need to study these bid documents and compare them with the actual implementation," Azurin explained. This inspection in Cebu follows a similar review the ICI conducted in Davao the previous week.
