Love the Philippines

Need vs spending

Where is flood risk highest, where are families poorest, and where does flood-control money go? We place each DPWH flood-control contract on Project NOAH's 100-year flood-hazard map and add it up by province beside PSA's 2023 poverty figures. A mismatch is a question worth asking, not proof that anything is wrong.

Ilocos Norte: 21.2%Ilocos Sur: 25.0%La Union: 27.5%Pangasinan: 19.4%Batanes: 7.7%Cagayan: 17.1%Isabela: 18.0%Nueva Vizcaya: 0.6%Quirino: 5.7%Bataan: 17.9%Bulacan: 22.2%Nueva Ecija: 23.7%Pampanga: 38.0%Tarlac: 27.2%Zambales: 17.9%Aurora: 17.2%Batangas: 14.0%Cavite: 17.0%Laguna: 20.9%Quezon: 6.6%Rizal: 14.2%Albay: 16.6%Camarines Norte: 19.9%Camarines Sur: 16.1%Catanduanes: 3.1%Masbate: 14.9%Sorsogon: 4.4%Aklan: 18.7%Antique: 11.8%Capiz: 27.1%Iloilo: 18.9%Guimaras: no dataBohol: 9.5%Cebu: 9.4%Eastern Samar: 16.0%Leyte: 17.9%Northern Samar: 20.4%Samar: 15.2%Southern Leyte: 3.5%Biliran: 12.5%Sulu: no dataZamboanga del Norte: 4.5%Zamboanga del Sur: 14.3%Zamboanga Sibugay: 4.2%City of Isabela: no dataBukidnon: 12.5%Camiguin: 8.0%Lanao del Norte: 5.5%Misamis Occidental: 5.7%Misamis Oriental: 12.8%Davao del Norte: 4.8%Davao del Sur: 11.2%Davao Oriental: 2.7%Davao de Oro: 3.6%Davao Occidental: 2.7%Cotabato: 7.7%South Cotabato: 9.9%Sultan Kudarat: 13.5%Sarangani: 10.1%NCR, City of Manila, First District: 40.7%NCR, Second District: 30.8%NCR, Third District: 30.5%NCR, Fourth District: 24.7%Abra: 15.2%Benguet: 12.8%Ifugao: 2.5%Kalinga: 6.3%Mountain Province: 1.4%Apayao: 4.3%Agusan del Norte: 11.5%Agusan del Sur: 0.2%Surigao del Norte: 9.6%Surigao del Sur: 12.3%Dinagat Islands: 3.6%Marinduque: 5.3%Occidental Mindoro: 10.1%Oriental Mindoro: 12.4%Palawan: 6.7%Romblon: 1.0%Negros Occidental: 10.4%Negros Oriental: 2.5%Siquijor: no dataBasilan: 0.2%Lanao del Sur: 10.1%Tawi-Tawi: 0.0%Maguindanao del Norte: 22.9%Maguindanao del Sur: 32.9%
≤ 4.4%4.4%–9.9%9.9%–14.3%14.3%–19.4%> 19.4%no data

Boundaries: NAMRIA / PSA via faeldon/philippines-json-maps (PSGC 2026-3Q), CC BY-IGO 3.0

High hazard, little flood-control money

Provinces with over 50 km² of medium/high flood hazard whose contract total per hazard km² is under a quarter of the median province (₱38.4M/km²).

  • Maguindanao del Sur: 32.9% of land at medium/high hazard · ₱2.74B (₱3.4M/km²) · poverty 32.1%
  • Capiz: 27.1% of land at medium/high hazard · ₱5.46B (₱7.6M/km²) · poverty 9.8%
  • Maguindanao del Norte: 22.9% of land at medium/high hazard · ₱3.15B (₱5.4M/km²) · poverty 28.4%
  • Northern Samar: 20.4% of land at medium/high hazard · ₱4.30B (₱6.1M/km²) · poverty 21.8%
  • Eastern Samar: 16.0% of land at medium/high hazard · ₱6.34B (₱9.3M/km²) · poverty 24.7%
  • Masbate: 14.9% of land at medium/high hazard · ₱5.46B (₱9.2M/km²) · poverty 12.9%
  • Lanao del Sur: 10.1% of land at medium/high hazard · ₱2.49B (₱6.0M/km²) · poverty 12.1%
  • Quirino: 5.7% of land at medium/high hazard · ₱773.1M (₱4.9M/km²) · poverty 6.7%

Largest share of money outside mapped flood zones

  • Agusan del Sur: 100% of ₱6.82B sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Basilan: 100% of ₱862.0M sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Cotabato: 100% of ₱9.03B sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Nueva Vizcaya: 99% of ₱11.32B sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Romblon: 98% of ₱15.13B sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Mountain Province: 96% of ₱3.15B sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Sorsogon: 89% of ₱19.90B sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Davao Occidental: 81% of ₱4.72B sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Southern Leyte: 81% of ₱5.27B sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Ifugao: 81% of ₱2.41B sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Dinagat Islands: 80% of ₱632.0M sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Davao Oriental: 79% of ₱9.87B sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Kalinga: 74% of ₱5.39B sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Batanes: 71% of ₱789.3M sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones
  • Davao de Oro: 69% of ₱11.98B sits outside NOAH low/medium/high zones

All provinces

Province / NCR districtPoverty 2023Med/high hazardContractsContract total₱ per hazard km²Outside zones
Abra9.4%15.2% (583 km²)328₱22.41B₱38.4M9%
Agusan del Norte14.7%11.5% (308 km²)227₱20.84B₱67.8M36%
Agusan del Sur23.4%0.2% (17 km²)136₱6.82B₱404.8M100%
Aklan3.1%18.7% (315 km²)157₱7.54B₱23.9M25%
Albay18.1%16.6% (409 km²)943₱56.47B₱138.0M27%
Antique13.8%11.8% (324 km²)106₱6.14B₱19.0M21%
Apayao4%*4.3% (176 km²)102₱4.89B₱27.8M45%
Aurora11%17.2% (520 km²)190₱7.87B₱15.2M7%
Basilan33.7%0.2% (2 km²)17₱862.0M₱360.2M100%
Bataan6.6%17.9% (224 km²)279₱9.63B₱43.1M12%
Batanes3.3%*7.7% (15 km²)64₱789.3M₱51.1M71%
Batangas4.9%14.0% (447 km²)693₱20.03B₱44.8M26%
Benguet2.5%12.8% (372 km²)246₱7.76B₱20.8M11%
Biliran8.5%12.5% (66 km²)264₱4.94B₱74.4M19%
Bohol14.8%9.5% (378 km²)234₱11.54B₱30.5M48%
Bukidnon20.2%12.5% (1,175 km²)232₱16.88B₱14.4M11%
Bulacan6%22.2% (601 km²)1,805₱102.76B₱170.9M26%
Cagayan5.7%17.1% (1,503 km²)392₱21.75B₱14.5M34%
Camarines Norte17.7%19.9% (423 km²)326₱17.95B₱42.5M15%
Camarines Sur22.4%16.1% (852 km²)622₱38.26B₱44.9M23%
Camiguin9.4%8.0% (19 km²)88₱2.97B₱152.6M39%
Capiz9.8%27.1% (718 km²)112₱5.46B₱7.6M17%
Catanduanes23.5%3.1% (45 km²)135₱6.08B₱135.0M64%
Cavite4.3%17.0% (212 km²)735₱40.83B₱192.3M15%
Cebu11.7%9.4% (458 km²)1,064₱59.29B₱129.4M26%
City of Isabela10%No NOAH flood map for this province17₱1.09BNo NOAH flood map for this provinceNo NOAH flood map for this province
Cotabato18%7.7% (409 km²)202₱9.03B₱22.0M100%
Davao del Norte7.3%4.8% (157 km²)117₱7.63B₱48.6M69%
Davao del Sur9.1%*11.2% (479 km²)582₱30.41B₱63.5M17%
Davao de Oro7.1%3.6% (158 km²)205₱11.98B₱75.6M69%
Davao Occidental19.8%2.7% (54 km²)104₱4.72B₱88.3M81%
Davao Oriental29.1%2.7% (137 km²)243₱9.87B₱72.2M79%
Dinagat Islands23.1%3.6% (29 km²)34₱632.0M₱21.7M80%
Eastern Samar24.7%16.0% (681 km²)126₱6.34B₱9.3M38%
Guimaras3.8%*No NOAH flood map for this province29₱878.2MNo NOAH flood map for this provinceNo NOAH flood map for this province
Ifugao4.6%2.5% (63 km²)60₱2.41B₱38.3M81%
Ilocos Norte0.3%*21.2% (696 km²)996₱34.19B₱49.1M11%
Ilocos Sur5.2%25.0% (616 km²)494₱13.24B₱21.5M13%
Iloilo11.1%18.9% (889 km²)448₱19.25B₱21.7M29%
Isabela8.4%18.0% (1,886 km²)818₱52.18B₱27.7M28%
Kalinga2.6%*6.3% (179 km²)265₱5.39B₱30.1M74%
Laguna5.4%20.9% (377 km²)519₱25.29B₱67.2M19%
Lanao del Norte25.2%5.5% (145 km²)155₱6.45B₱44.5M61%
Lanao del Sur12.1%10.1% (416 km²)52₱2.49B₱6.0M19%
La Union6.3%27.5% (389 km²)342₱17.73B₱45.6M9%
Leyte20.6%17.9% (1,000 km²)728₱37.43B₱37.4M25%
Maguindanao del Norte28.4%22.9% (585 km²)64₱3.15B₱5.4M11%
Maguindanao del Sur32.1%32.9% (810 km²)36₱2.74B₱3.4M11%
Marinduque8.5%5.3% (49 km²)162₱8.85B₱180.4M61%
Masbate12.9%14.9% (593 km²)141₱5.46B₱9.2M25%
Misamis Occidental22.6%5.7% (107 km²)79₱2.87B₱26.7M60%
Misamis Oriental12%12.8% (432 km²)438₱29.21B₱67.6M5%
Mountain Province10.5%1.4% (31 km²)106₱3.15B₱102.2M96%
NCR, City of Manila, First District1.6%*40.7% (17 km²)696₱42.73B₱2.50B15%
NCR, Fourth District0.9%24.7% (48 km²)996₱38.08B₱785.2M27%
NCR, Second District0.9%30.8% (72 km²)970₱36.44B₱506.1M16%
NCR, Third District1.6%30.5% (38 km²)805₱36.82B₱962.5M30%
Negros Occidental22.1%10.4% (797 km²)485₱21.21B₱26.6M58%
Negros Oriental25.1%2.5% (131 km²)331₱13.64B₱104.4M63%
Northern Samar21.8%20.4% (702 km²)110₱4.30B₱6.1M19%
Nueva Ecija6.9%23.7% (1,307 km²)501₱22.73B₱17.4M19%
Nueva Vizcaya7.3%0.6% (23 km²)216₱11.32B₱486.7M99%
Occidental Mindoro20.6%10.1% (605 km²)241₱24.49B₱40.5M36%
Oriental Mindoro14.1%12.4% (520 km²)359₱29.93B₱57.5M21%
Palawan15.8%6.7% (963 km²)203₱10.75B₱11.2M49%
Pampanga1%*38.0% (804 km²)727₱33.96B₱42.2M43%
Pangasinan11.4%19.4% (1,000 km²)1,175₱39.28B₱39.3M48%
Quezon6.9%6.6% (557 km²)429₱17.47B₱31.4M38%
Quirino6.7%5.7% (157 km²)36₱773.1M₱4.9M43%
Rizal5.6%14.2% (170 km²)609₱21.74B₱127.6M23%
Romblon23%1.0% (13 km²)196₱15.13B₱1.14B98%
Samar24.9%15.2% (819 km²)203₱8.17B₱10.0M23%
Sarangani23.1%10.1% (374 km²)93₱4.03B₱10.8M9%
Siquijor3.5%*No NOAH flood map for this province68₱3.11BNo NOAH flood map for this provinceNo NOAH flood map for this province
Sorsogon28.4%4.4% (86 km²)399₱19.90B₱230.4M89%
South Cotabato10.1%9.9% (409 km²)225₱8.76B₱21.4M17%
Southern Leyte7.1%3.5% (58 km²)136₱5.27B₱91.3M81%
Sultan Kudarat26.4%13.5% (569 km²)132₱5.97B₱10.5M20%
Sulu13%No NOAH flood map for this province4₱186.8MNo NOAH flood map for this provinceNo NOAH flood map for this province
Surigao del Norte6.8%9.6% (190 km²)205₱12.08B₱63.7M61%
Surigao del Sur10.3%12.3% (577 km²)123₱7.19B₱12.5M43%
Tarlac6.7%27.2% (810 km²)648₱38.84B₱48.0M21%
Tawi-Tawi32.3%0.0% (0 km²)4₱502.6MUnder 1 km² of medium/high hazard area, so a per-km² figure would mislead100%
Zambales11.8%17.9% (669 km²)420₱26.79B₱40.1M13%
Zamboanga del Norte37.7%4.5% (280 km²)202₱12.15B₱43.4M43%
Zamboanga del Sur20%14.3% (764 km²)323₱13.06B₱17.1M28%
Zamboanga Sibugay17.8%4.2% (114 km²)153₱7.17B₱62.6M63%

* PSA coefficient of variation above 20%: the poverty estimate is imprecise.

Sources, method and limits

  • Poverty. Philippine Statistics Authority, 2023 Full Year Official Poverty Statistics, Table 1 (poverty incidence among families, by region and province), via PSA OpenSTAT. Cite PSA as source.
  • Flood hazard. Project NOAH (UP Resilience Institute / NOAH Center) 100-year return-period flood-hazard maps, levels low / medium / high, mirror on Hugging Face. Licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0); the derived per-province and per-project hazard tables on this page are offered under the same license. No NOAH map was available for Guimaras, Siquijor, Sulu and the City of Isabela; Tawi-Tawi's file is empty; Maguindanao's map is split between del Norte and del Sur by boundary.
  • Boundaries. NAMRIA / PSA administrative boundaries (CC BY-IGO 3.0) as packaged by faeldon/philippines-json-maps, PSGC 2026-3Q.
  • Spending. DPWH contract amounts for projects categorized “Flood Control and Drainage” or whose type of work mentions flood, revetment, dike or drainage, assigned to a province by their published coordinates, all years on file. Amounts are contract cost, not disbursement, and are nominal pesos.
  • Limits. Hazard area uses a lightly simplified map (≈20 m). Coordinates on some DPWH records point to the district office or town center. A contract outside a mapped zone is not necessarily misplaced: drainage, coastal protection and river works upstream of a flood plain can sit outside the 100-year inundation footprint.
  • Script: scripts/need/compute_need.py.