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GMA Network
13 hours ago
- Business
- GMA Network
Some construction firms in flood control projects linked to past controversies
Incomplete road projects, overpriced laptops and questionable incorporators are past controversies linked to some construction firms who cornered a substantial portion of government's flood control projects. These construction companies were among those in the list presented by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that he said were able to corner a substantial portion of flood-control projects. One of the construction companies was flagged by the Commission on Audit for an incomplete road project and became a supplier of overpriced and outdated laptops to the Department of Education (DepEd). A lawmaker also became one of its incorporators. According to Maki Pulido's Tuesday report on '24 Oras,' Sunwest Incorporated got the largest amount among the 15 construction companies mentioned by the President that secured 20% of the P545 billion allocated for flood-control projects, based on data from Malacañang. Sunwest obtained P10.1 billion for 78 flood control projects. Based on GMA Integrated News Research's investigation, Sunwest was linked to a number of controversies. In 2012, COA flagged one of its projects after it found that the road it constructed lacked over 2,000 square metres in width, contrary to its reported accomplishment to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The Senate also raised questions as to why the then named Sunwest Construction and Development Corp. (SCDC) became a supplier of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) for the protective personnel equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. SCDC also supplied the alleged overpriced and outdated laptops to DepEd in COA's 2022 audit. Ako Bikol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co was a former incorporator of Sunwest but reportedly divested. GMA Integrated News is reaching out to Co for comment. Meanwhile, Legacy Construction Corporation acquired P9.6 billion for its 132 projects, the most in terms of projects on the President's list. GMA Integrated News visited its office in Pasig City, but the security guard said the company had transferred before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Meanwhile, Alpha and Omega General Contractor and Development Corporation obtained over P7.5 billion. It has the same address as the St. Timothy Construction Corporation, which was awarded over P7 billion for the flood control project. However, the office address for both companies states the name 'St. Gerrard Construction' displayed outside. Based on its latest general information sheet of Alpha and Omega, Sara Discaya, rival of Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto during the 2025 mayoral election, was the president of Alpha and Omega. In a previous interview, Discaya's husband, Pacifico, told GMA Integrated News that they were formerly shareholders of St. Timothy, but they have since divested. He added that St. Timothy rented in their building before. St. Timothy also had pulled out as the venture partner of Miru System for the 2025 automated elections. GMA Integrated News has reached out to St. Timothy for comment. Meanwhile, EGB Construction Company was awarded P7.8 billion for the flood project. EGB said its construction company has a 'quadruple A status' because it has integrity. 'Maayos ang aming trabaho, tumutupad kami sa lahat ng plans and specifications (we work properly and adhere to all plans and specifications),' engineer Erni Baggao of EGB said. Marcos described cornering 20% of the flood control projects in the country disturbing, saying that an investigation is necessary. 'They invest in politicians tapos yung (the) politicians are expected to provide them with the contracts that they want to corner,' Roland Sibulan of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance explained. These favors include giving campaign funds, but Sibulan did not provide any examples. Flood control projects are among the most popular projects for companies to milk of funds, he said. 'Mahirap kasing i-monitor [ang flood control projects] kasi precisely because they are not so visible. We can only test their effectiveness and efficiency or what is deficient about them when the flood is already there,' Sibulan said. (Flood control projects are difficult to monitor precisely because they are not so visible. We can only test their effectiveness and efficiency, or what is deficient about them, when the flood is already there.) Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manny Bonoan admitted it is a challenge to verify implemented projects. 'Well, we're doing our best actually to monitor. But once again, the challenge is actually to verify them actually in the field,' Bonaon said. For her part, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said there are corrupt contractors who got away with the process. 'Mga dating nablacklist nag-iba lang ng pangalan at ngayon mukhang nakakapagtransact pa muli sa gobyerno. Mahiya naman kayo,' Castro said. (Previously blacklisted companies just changed their names, and now it seems they're able to transact with the government again. Have some shame.) — Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
05-08-2025
- Health
- GMA Network
7 leptospirosis patients die in San Lazaro Hospital
The San Lazaro Hospital in Manila has recorded seven deaths due to leptospirosis in the first five days of August. According to Maki Pulido's Tuesday report on '24 Oras,' among the fatalities is a 16-year-old teenager who died due to acute renal or kidney failure. A doctor at San Lazaro noted that all seven fatalities waded through the floods caused by the continuous downpour brought by the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) and tropical cyclones. 'Napapansin namin na ang severity ng mga sakit ngayon medyo aggressive. Sa tingin namin na within two to seven days, nagkakaroon sila ng komplikasyon sa sa kidney, liver, respiratory system, o lungs. Nakikita namin na hindi na sila nakakaihi o hirap silang huminga. Kailangan namin i-ventilator,' said Dr. David Suplico, San Lazaro Hospital medical center chief. ('We've noticed that currently, the severity of illnesses is quite aggressive. We think that within two to seven days, patients are having complications in the kidneys, liver, respiratory system, or lungs. We've observed that they can no longer urinate or are having difficulty breathing. We need to put them on a ventilator.) As of August 5, 45 leptospirosis patients are confined at the San Lazaro Hospital, of which 15 are minors. Suplico noted that each case can already be considered a complicated case, as the patients' kidneys, lungs, and liver are affected. According to San Lazaro Hospital's data, most of the leptospirosis patients are from Metro Manila, Cavite, and Laguna, with most of them being from Manila. 'Usually, nakikita namin ito sa mga pasyente na riders na lumusong sa baha na may paltos ang mga paa at sila ay mga na-confine sa aming ospital,' Suplico said. (We usually observed that patients confined in our hospital are motorcycle riders who waded through floodwaters with blisters on their feet.) Four of the confined leptospirosis patients are in the intensive care unit. This included the husband of Marlyn Benitez, who, despite wanting to get prophylaxis, cannot do so because they cannot go to the health center due to the flood. Meanwhile, the Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center in Marikina City logged 44 leptospirosis cases as of August 5, most of which are from the city. The Department of Health has recorded more than 500 leptospirosis cases in July 2025. However, there is still no data on how many have contracted leptospirosis due to the successive weather disturbances. Dr. Imelda Mateo of Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center reminded the public to wear boots when braving the flood or to take prophylaxis. 'Wag pong ipagsawalanag bahala kasi makakamatay ang leptospirosis (leptospirosis can be deadly, so take it seriously),' she said. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
23-07-2025
- Climate
- GMA Network
Uprooted bamboo fall on two cars in QC
Several bamboo that were uprooted by continuous rains from a cliff fell on two parked vehicles in Barangay Bagong Silangan, Quezon City. According to Maki Pulido's report in '24 Oras' on Wednesday, the owner of the bamboo said that he did not expect the tall plants to be uprooted. 'Parang humangin lang naman tapos bigla nalang narinig na may bumagsak. Tapos bumagsak na pala yung mga kawayan,' said resident Vidal 'Dondon' Tabulog. (There was like a gust of wind and then suddenly I heard something fall. Then it turned out the bamboo trees had already fallen.) Tabulog planted the bamboo to prevent the soil from collapsing as his house sits at the edge of a steep cliff. 'Wala namang malilipatan. Kung meron man, bakit hindi?' he said. (We don't know where to move to. If there is a place, why not?) Following the accident, Tabulog and his neighbors on the edge were told to evacuate. Tabulog's family will temporarily seek shelter at a Christian church while their neighbors will stay with other families near them. They can all return to their houses only if the rains stopped, the report added. But some residents said that they have been requesting authorities to build riprap (a layer of large stones to prevent erosion) to stabilize the cliff. 'Lahat ng mga kandidato, pupunta diyan, picture-picture lang sila, sukat-sukat, wala namang nangyayari,' said resident Alicia Formento. (All the candidates will go there to take a picture and do some measurements, but nothing has been done.) The stalks of bamboo fell on an SUV and a taxi that were parked along Don Vicente Street. The family of the taxi driver expressed worry about their finances as a result of the accident. 'Sa araw-araw namin na pangangailangan, dito lang po kami umaasa. Ito lang inaasahan namin, pinagkukunan ng pagkain namin araw-araw,' the wife of the taxi driver lamented. (For our daily needs, this is all we rely on. This is where we expect to get our daily food from.) The drivers decided to clear the bamboo that was pinning their vehicles themselves instead of waiting for emergency responders. 'Kung hintayin pa namin yung city engineer, babalikan daw nila, kaya lang may dalawang bagyo pa. Kapag gumuho 'tong bahay, tatabunan ng lupa ang taxi,' the taxi driver said. (If we wait for the city engineer, although they said they'll come back, there are still two more typhoons approaching. If this house collapses, the taxi will be buried under the debris.) Meanwhile, over 1,700 residents in Barangay Silangan are still staying at an evacuation center even though the flood has subsided. But for Meralisa Rañesses, she's not sure where to go next after evacuating as she only lives in a small hut. 'Depende na lang po kasi nabasa na siya sa ulan. Depende na lang po kung pwede pa siya tirahan kasi yung mga plywood lumambot na po. Bahala na po,' she said. (I don't know what to do now because the wood is already soaked from the rain. I'm not sure if it's still habitable because the plywood has softened. Let's see what will happen.) On the other hand, the evacuation center also has allocated an area for the pets of evacuees and are being taken cared of by the Quezon City Veterinary Office. The local government of Quezon City has declared a state of calamity. For emergencies, residents may dial 122. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
03-07-2025
- GMA Network
MMDA eyes imposing NCAP along roads near private schools
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) plans to implement the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) along roads near private schools to ease traffic. According to Maki Pulido's Thursday report on '24 Oras,' the MMDA said traffic is heavy whenever students are picked up or dropped off at some private schools. At Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, about 14,000 vehicles come and go within the school compound the whole day. At La Salle Greenhills, Ortigas Ave. in San Juan City sometimes becomes a parking space due to the volume of vehicles used by its students. 'Nagiging chokepoints ito pong mga lugar na ito dahil sa dami po ng mga sasakyan na naghahatid at nagsusundo po ng mga estudyante. Minsan dalawa, tatlong lanes na yung nasasakop,' MMDA chair Don Artes said. (These areas are becoming chokepoints due to the volume of vehicles used by the students. They sometimes occupy two to three lanes.) Due to the traffic congestion it causes, the MMDA is installing CCTV cameras along EDSA, Ortigas, and Katipunan avenues, near Poveda, La Salle Greenhills, Xavier School, Immaculate Concepcion Academy, Miriam College, and Ateneo de Manila. MMDA also plans to remove its traffic enforcers from the area to avert incidents of bribery. 'Yung enforcers namin, hindi rin namin alam kung naba-bribe ba sila, may maintenance ba sila, kaya hinahayaan nila at di enforce strictly yung traffic rules. Hindi rin naman namin mabantayan yung tao namin din 24/7. That's why nga instead of enforcers, ang ilalagay na namin, CCTV cameras,' Artes said. (We're unsure if our enforcers are bribed or if they have maintenance, so they don't strictly implement traffic rules. We also cannot watch over them 24/7. That's why instead of deploying traffic enforcers, we will be using CCTV cameras.) During the meeting with MMDA earlier today, representatives of private schools showed support for the agency's plan. They said they also have their initiatives to lessen traffic in their area. MMDA will conduct a one-on-one meeting to analyze and firm up the NCAP guideline before its full implementation. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/LDF, GMA Integrated News
