Flood mess leads to over 100,000 job losses

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

February 13, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  Around 100,000 construction workers have lost their jobs amid the controversy over irregularities in flood control projects, the National Union of Building and Construction Workers (NUBCW) said yesterday as the government confirmed a significant decline in employment in the sector.

NUBCW secretary general Santiago Nolla said the impact of the controversy has been “massive,” particularly after the cancellation of permits of contractors identified in the investigation.

“If we talk about the effect, this is not only for construction workers, but for the whole country. We know that Metro Manila and other provinces are drowning because of the flood. But if we talk about the construction industry, many lost their jobs,” Nolla said.

“When the investigation started, we saw that the pickup permits and other business permits of the identified contractors of flood control were canceled. Many lost their jobs. We estimate that this will not be lower than P100,000 for construction workers,” he said, noting that most of them were employed by at least 15 construction firms linked to the questionable flood control projects.

He said unskilled laborers bore the brunt of the job losses. “Most of those affected are Muslim workers. Some come from Samar and Leyte, while others are from Davao and Cagayan de Oro. They were forced to come here to accomplish these bogus projects. When these projects stopped because of the scandal, they had no choice but to go home,” he said.

He added that around 80 percent of unskilled workers were forced to go home due to limited skills and lack of alternative employment. While skilled workers were generally able to transfer to other construction firms, unskilled laborers were left with few options.

Nolla also raised concerns about declining trust in the industry. He said some workers have begun shifting to other sectors, citing uncertainty in government-funded construction projects and the lingering effects of the flood control scandal.

In response, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) spokesperson Lennard Constantine Serrano confirmed in a separate interview yesterday that employment in the construction sector has fallen significantly.

“Looking at the year-on-year comparison, construction employment declined by about 500,000 — from 5.347 million in December 2024 to 4.797 million in December 2025,” Serrano said.

Asked about safeguards for workers in cases where contractors’ permits are canceled, and companies shut down, Serrano said establishments planning to close are required to notify DOLE at least 30 days in advance, separate from the notice given to employees.

He added that the department has implemented a “quick response approach” in anticipation of large-scale layoffs. He added that DOLE has instructed Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) in cities and provinces to monitor displaced workers from affected construction sites and match them with available job vacancies within their areas.

Dizon recruits DLSU students

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon had unwittingly gone to the alma mater of notorious Department of Public Works and Highways former 1st Bulacan District Engineering Office (DEO) district engineer Brice Hernandez – De La Salle University – to recruit potentially young and idealistic new blood for the corruption-riddled DPWH.

Dizon had been caught in an awkward situation while making a pitch to the assembled graduating student population of DLSU, also his alma mater, yesterday morning when he said that it was fortunate that Hernandez and fellow former DPWH Bulacan 1st DEO district engineer Henry Alcantara were not products of his revered alma mater.

“I just hope none of you turn out like Brice Hernandez or Henry Alcantara,” Dizon said, at first. “Good thing there is no La Salle (alumnus) among them.”

However, Dizon was corrected by the assembly that Hernandez was an alumnus of DLSU. “Oh my God. Sorry. Dean, I’m very sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know Brice was La Salle, I didn’t know, oh my God. Terrible.”

Recovering his composure, he said: “If you become like Brice Hernandez you will be jailed.” –  Rainier Allan Rond– with Rainier Allan Ronda