TARLAC CITY, Tarlac (Sept. 7, 2025) — Tarlac province has funneled billions of pesos into flood control infrastructure over recent years, with nearly 250 projects revealing a concentrated flow of public money to a select group of contractors from 2022 to 2025.
Yet, as residents wade through recurring deluges, questions arise about the effectiveness of these massive investments, especially amid reports of structural failures and persistent inundations in 2025.
Data taken from the www.sumbongsapangulo.ph website details everything from river dikes to urban drainage systems, paints a picture of ambitious engineering efforts dwarfed by nature’s unrelenting assaults, fueling calls for greater scrutiny into project quality and accountability.
At the forefront of this spending spree stands Royal Crown Monarch Construction & Supplies Corp., which secured the highest number of contracts — 37 in total — amounting to over P3.45 billion, excluding joint venture projects worth about P868 million. Close behind is A.C. Soliven Construction & General Merchandise with 32 projects worth approximately P1.77 billion, followed by T2B3 Builders and Supplies Corp. handling 16 initiatives totaling P1.25 billion. Other major players include Northern Builders, with 14 projects valued at nearly P1 billion, and R.R. Ricafort Construction and Supplies, with 13 contracts totaling P912 million.
According to DPWH documents, four of the top six contractors in the province are from Tarlac City —
Sapang Maragul, Tarlac City-based Royal Crown Monarch, is owned and managed by Rommel C. Miranda. Tyrone T. Rigor manages T2B3 Builders from Brgy. San Sebastian, Tarlac City. Tyrone is a close relative of the former DPWH National Capital Region and Region III Director Josefino Rigor.
Northern Builders is managed by Victor M. Angeles, the spouse of Congresswoman Cristy Angeles and a losing mayoralty candidate for Tarlac City. Rafael R. Ricafort owns R.R. Ricafort operating from Brgy. San Miguel, Tarlac City.
A. C. Soliven is managed by Arlene C. Soliven with an office address in La Paz, Tarlac, while Alpha & Omega is managed by the infamous Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” C. Discaya of Pasig City.
Royal Crown Monarch and Alpha & Omega are on the list of 15 construction companies that cornered about P100 billion in flood control projects from July 2022 to May 2025 nationwide, as revealed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos on August 11.
PLAYING FAVORITES?
These construction firms dominate the landscape, often through joint ventures, with costs soaring into the hundreds of millions for individual riverbank reinforcements and slope protections. Overall, the government expenditures for these projects exceed P20 billion, primarily aimed at taming rivers like the Tarlac, O’Donnell, Rio Chico, and Camiling, which have long plagued low-lying communities with seasonal overflows.
Drilling down by municipality and city uncovers patterns of favoritism and heavy reliance on these top firms.
In Tarlac City, a hotspot for urban flooding, Northern Builders leads with 12 projects totaling P825 million, focusing on drainage systems that were meant to alleviate chronic waterlogging in densely populated areas.
A.C. Soliven follows with six contracts worth P315 million, while Flordes Construction & Trading Corp. handles four at P382 million.
Camiling, another flood-prone town along its namesake river, sees A.C. Soliven topping the list with 12 projects at P614 million, Royal Crown Monarch with 10 at P875 million, and GJE Builders Corporation with three at P98 million.
In Concepcion, RaiK Construction and Development Corporation dominates with seven projects amounting to P454 million, supplemented by Royal Crown Monarch’s three at P287 million and Sto. Cristo Construction & Trading Inc.’s three at P251 million.
In Capas, Royal Crown Monarch claims five projects for P480 million, Flordes takes four at P382 million, and 11-16 Construction manages three at P175 million, largely targeting the O’Donnell River’s volatile banks.
La Paz relies on Royal Crown Monarch and A.C. Soliven, each with two projects at P191 million and P141 million, respectively, alongside Sto. Cristo’s two at P146 million for Rio Chico River works.
Paniqui awarded A.C. Soliven three contracts worth P175 million, R.R. Ricafort two at P164 million, and Big Bertha Construction & Development two at around P64 million.
Ramos favors GJE Builders with five projects totaling P247 million, while Victoria leans heavily on Royal Crown Monarch’s four at P385 million. Even in San Jose, a mix of firms like Lourel Development Corporation and Sto. Cristo split eight projects, with costs clustering around P188 million each for road-adjacent slope protections.
Gerona splits its smaller slate between R.R. Ricafort (two at P118 million) and A.C. Soliven (two at P96 million).
ALMOST NO IMPROVEMENT IN FLOOD CONTROL
Despite this torrent of funding, Tarlac’s flood woes show no signs of abating, with 2025 bringing fresh devastation that underscores potential gaps in execution or design.
In July, severe tropical storm Crising and intensified southwest monsoon rains triggered widespread flooding across the province, leading to class suspensions and displacing thousands in low-lying areas like Tarlac City and Camiling. Residents reported knee-to-chest-deep waters submerging homes and roads, with seven people still missing amid the chaos, and authorities warning of heightened landslide risks in river-adjacent communities.
By late August, investigative reports highlighted structural collapses, including the Lourdes River Dike along the Parua River in Bamban, a P47-million project that failed just two years after rehabilitation due to inadequate materials like unreinforced concrete lining ill-suited for lahar flows from nearby Mt. Pinatubo. This incident, part of a broader critique of flood control efficacy, pointed to possible corruption, with experts noting “embedded items” in designs that inflate costs while skimping on quality during construction.
These failures echo earlier completions, such as a P93-million O’Donnell River structure in Tarlac City finished in late 2024, touted for its slope protections and drainage features but evidently overwhelmed by 2025’s rains.
PAGASA’s advisories throughout the year, including thunderstorm warnings in early September affecting Tarlac towns like Mayantoc, San Jose, and Capas, further illustrate the ongoing threat, with heavy downpours persisting despite the infrastructure boom.
Climate experts warn that rising intensities from global warming could exacerbate these issues, rendering even well-funded projects obsolete without adaptive measures.
As Tarlac grapples with these contradictions, the number of flood control projects serves as a stark ledger of ambition versus reality.
While contractors reap substantial rewards, communities endure the deluge, prompting demands for audits, transparent bidding, and resilient designs that truly stem the tide. Until then, the province’s rivers continue to overflow, washing away trust in the system built to contain them.
This story also appears on the pages of Tarlac Weekender.
