MMDA flagged over P1 billion delayed infrastructure projects

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December 2, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Audit (COA) has called out the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority over the delayed implementation of MMDA infrastructure projects for 2024 amounting to P1.1 billion.

Of the number of projects, eight were intended for flood control and sewerage management.

The COA noted that of the 125 infrastructure projects programmed by the MMDA, 21 remained unfinished as of Dec. 31, 2024.

The audit body said most of the projects had partial accomplishments ranging from 12 to 15 percent. Some projects had “no accomplishment at all” despite the issuance of notice to proceed.

Among the factors cited by the COA for the delays were “weak interagency coordination, external disruptions and delays in securing permits.”

The COA said the delays ranged from 16 to 160 days from the projects’ original target completion dates.

“Some delays in infrastructure projects are unavoidable such as those caused by bad weather or overlapping construction. However, better coordination among agencies, early risk planning and timely submission of documents can help minimize these delays,” the COA said in the report uploaded on its website yesterday.

“Prolonged project implementation can worsen traffic, reduce productivity and delay public benefits, such as improved transportation and job creation. They also often lead to higher costs, putting added strain on government budgets,” the COA added.

The audit breakdown showed that of the 21 delayed infrastructure projects, eight were under the MMDA’s Flood Control and Sewerage Management Office, seven under the Traffic Engineering Center, three under the Pasig River Ferry Services, two under the Management Information System Staff and one under the Health, Public Safety and Environment Protection Office.

Apart from the 21 delayed projects for 2024, the MMDA also has six projects with an aggregate contract cost of P762.88 million programmed in the previous years, but remained unfinished.

Flood control projects

The audit body also flagged the MMDA for the delays in the implementation of projects under its Metro Manila Flood Management Project Phase 1 (MMFPP1), which were funded through foreign loans.

The COA noted that while five projects amounting to P80.297 million were finished in 2024, the completion was delayed by up to 322 days from the target completion dates.

Four projects worth P87.206 million remained unfinished as of Dec. 31, 2024, incurring delays of almost two years or up to 676 days from the completion dates stated in the contracts.

Launched in 2018, the MMFPP1 aims to address flooding in Metro Manila.

The MMFPP1 was funded through a loan agreement entered into by the government with the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on Sept. 28, 2017.

The COA said that based on the agency’s report as of April 30, 2025, of the 58 contracts under MMFPP1, 35 were completed, 15 were ongoing, three are for re-bidding, four were canceled and one was discontinued.

The audit body said the government has incurred P37.405 million in commitment fees from 2018 to 2024 due to the delays.