Philippine mayors urge President Marcos: Jail politicians involved in botched infra projects

The Star

a day ago

MANILA: Anti-corruption mayors have urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to finally reveal the names of politicians and contractors involved in botched infrastructure projects in different parts of the country.
In a statement on Saturday (Aug 16) evening, the Mayors for Good Governance said it stands firmly with the Filipino people in demanding the truth, accountability, and justice behind the massive corruption allegations in flood control and other infrastructure projects, especially the reported collusion between government officials and favored contractors.
The statement was signed by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who was among the first to reveal the involvement of some lawmakers in these bungled projects; Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, and Isabela City Mayor Sitti Hataman.
More mayors are expected to sign the statement, with the group having the support of more than 100 local chief executives across the country when it was launched in August 2023.
'Flood control projects have existed for decades, but over the past years, corruption in these projects has become more alarming, pervasive, and systematic,' the group said.
'Those who have stolen public funds must face the full force of the law. Once proven guilty, politicians and bureaucrats must not only be removed from office, but also prosecuted and jailed,' it added.
The mayors demanded the Department of Public Works and Highways, who implemented these flood control projects, as well as all concerned national government agencies 'the immediate and full disclosure of all project details: the Programmes of Work, Detailed Unit Price Analyses, Bill of Quantities, and Feasibility Studies, and most urgently—the names of contractors and politicians responsible for these multi-billion peso projects funded by our taxpayers.''Transparency is no longer optional, but a duty we owe to every Filipino,' they said.
'Corruption must end now. The Filipino people deserve a government that protects and serves them, not one that endangers their lives and robs them of their future,' the mayors added.
Local chief executives in the past week have complained that many of the flood control projects have not been coordinated with them or consulted with experts before they were constructed.
Many of these projects have also been implemented without approval from local government units, making them not in line with local development plans.
Magalong on Friday said he would comply with the Malacañang's suggestion and submit the documents he have about the connivance of lawmakers and contractors to profit off the flood control projects to Marcos.
But he stressed that a third party should lead the investigation into the anomalous flood control projects. Magalong said he is still open to leading the independent committee for the probe.
Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro on Thursday brushed off the proposal of the Baguio mayor to appoint a lead investigator for the ongoing probe.
Castro urged Magalong to identify the 67 members of the House of Representatives that he and Sen. Panfilo Lacson alleged to be moonlighting as contractors, and may have been adding to overpriced or substandard construction, or both, of flood control and other infrastructure projects.
This way the government may immediately pursue charges with sufficient evidence against these personalities.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address on July 28, Marcos ordered the investigation of all the flood control projects undertaken in his administration, admitting that many of these failed to protect Filipinos from the floods that submerged their communities for days.
Two weeks later, the President revealed the list of all the 9,855 flood control projects implemented by the DPWH from July 2022 to May 2025, through the 'Sumbong sa Pangulo' website.
But he himself found it 'disturbing' that that P100 billion, or 20 percent of the entire P545-billion budget for flood mitigation projects undertaken by the DPWH, was awarded to only 15 out of 2,409 accredited contractors.
He played it safe, saying that while he revealed the names of the 15 top contractors which cornered most of the flood control projects, he was not accusing them of any wrongdoing.
His tone would change days later when he himself got to see the sorry state of these flood control projects, first in Iloilo City, then in Calumpit, Bulacan.
In his Aug 15 inspection of the dike rehabilitation project in the perennially flooded town of Calumpit, Marcos was visibly irritated on what he saw, calling it 'irregular and sloppy.'
The President demanded answers from St. Timothy Construction Corp., which was among the 15 top contractors he earlier bared, for the severely damaged riverside flood barrier.
Based on data, the P96.5-million project has been completed since February 2023.
'It cannot be like this! Unbelievable! This has been going on for years,' said Marcos, expressing frustration and disappointment. - The Straits Times/ANN