Recent storms caused more than $128 million in damage across the Philippines, while the agency responsible for preventing that damage faces an investigation into flood control projects that may have never been built.

Combined damage to agriculture and infrastructure from tropical cyclones and the ongoing southwest monsoon has reached about 8 billion pesos, or roughly $128 million, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported Aug. 28.

The monsoon, known locally as habagat, is a seasonal wind pattern that brings the Philippines' heaviest rainfall each year, typically from June through September. This year's habagat has been intensified by a string of tropical cyclones moving through the region.

In its Aug. 30 situation report, the NDRRMC said more than 8.1 million people across 10 regions of Luzon and the Visayas have been affected by tropical cyclones Luis, Maymay and Neneng along with the monsoon. A total of 117 local government units have declared a state of calamity, including province-wide declarations in Benguet, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Zambales and Cavite. A state of calamity is a formal declaration under Philippine law that releases emergency funds for relief and recovery and allows local governments to impose price controls on essential goods.

The Department of Public Works and Highways remains under investigation over the alleged ghost and substandard flood control projects. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in July that investigations and court proceedings tied to the projects are ongoing, with several cases already before the courts.

The scrutiny has reached the country's national budget process. The department's 2026 budget excluded funding for new flood control projects while the investigation continues, though it retained maintenance funding for existing systems, according to GMA News.