No senators were involved with the 15 contractors identified by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as having cornered close to P100 billion worth or a fifth of the total flood-control projects in the country, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva on Monday said.
“I can only speak for this (Upper) house, not the other house. And as far as I’m concerned as the majority leader of the Senate, I don’t see any senators involved in any of these 15 construction firms,” Villanueva said in a press conference.
Asked if he believes there are members of the House of Representatives who are involved in infrastructure contracts, Villanueva said: “It’s easy to confirm that. I will just give you documents. They can speak better on the issue.”
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong earlier alleged that some lawmakers are involved with contractors and get kickbacks of as much as 40 percent from flood-control projects.
House Committee on Public Accounts chairperson and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said they will invite Magalong next week for their probe into the government’s flood control projects.
“Mayor Magalong has been alleging that lawmakers are pocketing kickback off government projects. He can attend our probe and we will give him the invitation, provided that he should be able to name the lawmakers…He will have to do it under oath,” Ridon said.
Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco, for his part, said the President’s disclosure that 6,021 flood-control projects worth over P350 billion lack basic details was alarming and unacceptable.
“This raises serious questions about fairness, transparency, and potential corruption in project implementation. As the representative of Navotas, a city that is below sea level, I know firsthand what’s at stake. Our people endure rising waters, damaged homes, disrupted livelihoods, and threats to health and safety,” he said.
“Every peso wasted or misused on flood control is a betrayal of communities like ours. We cannot and will not allow critical infrastructure to become a playground for inefficiency or worse, corruption. I fully support the President’s directive to audit and clean up these programs, and I urge all agencies, contractors, and local officials to cooperate without delay,” Tiangco added.
Villanueva, for his part, said it is up to the President to decide whether Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan should step aside amid the investigation.
“If the President feels that Bonoan still enjoys his trust and confidence, then there’s nothing we can do about it. What’s important is that the investigation be impartial,”
Meanwhile, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto revealed that the Discayas own two of the top 15 contractors of flood-control projects identified by the President.
In a Facebook post, Sotto revealed that two companies — Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor & Development Corp. and St. Timothy Construction Corporation are all owned and controlled by the Discayas, the family of his political rival Sarah Discaya in the May elections.
“For the LGU’s part, first, we will send to the President all of the information and red flags that we see. Second, we will continue the cases against these people so that we can collect the millions if not billions of pesos that they owe the LGU in business taxes,” he said
Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu, in a separate statement, noted that the same two contractors are currently implementing large-scale flood mitigation works in the city under the Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO).
Based on the status report submitted to her office by the ICDEO, St. Timothy Construction Corporation had bagged a total of P425 million worth of projects.
However, only the construction of sections 1 and 2 of the flood mitigation structure in Lapuz district, totaling P300 million, is ongoing. Section 1 of another similar project worth P125 million with no specific address was suspended as of June 9, 2025 “due to obstructions.”
The Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corp, on the other hand, is implementing section 2 of the Iloilo Comprehensive Flood Mitigation Project with a programmed amount of P150 million.
It is targeted for completion on March 24, 2026, but no specific address was mentioned in the report.
“These projects are either non-functional, have caused flooding, or are, in some cases, practically non-existent. Flooding has brought severe and repeated suffering to our communities, especially during heavy rains and typhoons,” Treñas said.
