HOUSE leaders on Wednesday agreed it may be better for a third party to look into alleged irregularities in flood control projects amid concerns that members of the chamber may be involved in the controversies.
The House Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, has started an inquiry into the flood control projects, which President Marcos highlighted in his State of the Nation Address last month.
“Why would a body investigate itself? I think it would be wise and prudent of us to wait as to what the Executive has to say and what their actions are with regards to the President’s speech in the SONA,” House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, the President’s son, said.
“I think we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves,” he said.
Senator Panfilo Lacson previously charged that around 67 congressmen acted as contractors for government-funded infrastructure projects.
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong also claimed that some lawmakers were getting kickbacks of 30-40 percent of the budget for flood control and other infrastructure projects.
Magalong said on Tuesday he was willing to lead the investigation into the alleged corruption in flood control and other infrastructure projects.
He noted that he was part of the team that looked into the alleged corruption inside the National Irrigation Administration in 2013.
“With all this information, there are numerous leads. Perhaps, it’s about time the President designates a lead investigation so that the probe will go on,” Magalong told the ANC in mixed English and Filipino.
Marcos said he sees “nothing wrong” with a third party conducting the probe into the issue.
“Again, this is all about transparency and accountability. That’s why we have an open budget. That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing. So whatever helps towards transparency, whatever helps towards accountability, everyone and anyone should be on board for it,” the President said.
He also said he believes the House can help by identifying potential anomalies in infrastructure projects, but will primarily be up to the Executive branch “to be able to identify where these anomalies lie, given the fact that, again, the accused, so to speak, are within the legislature.”
“There are plenty of things to be probed that are not solely reliant or do not rely upon the anomalies that the Executive spoke about. The House can assist in many, many other ways,” the younger Marcos said.
House Senior Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. David Suarez welcomed the prospect of a third party to investigate, saying if the chamber does it, “people will say we are investigating ourselves.”
He added that the Office of the President is conducting its own investigation and that the House is ready to help “in finding the truth behind all these problems that the President has seen.”
He added, however, that those alleging House members were involved in anomalous flood control projects should provide details of the accusations.
“You have to show who these congressmen are. You can’t just be out there destroying the name of the institution without factual basis,” Suarez said.
The DPWH will focus its audit on the flood control projects under the 15 construction companies flagged by President Marcos Jr., DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said.
On Monday, Marcos said only 15 contractors bagged about P100 billion or 20 percent of nearly 10,000 flood control projects from July 2022 to May 2025.
He said that more than half of these government-funded infrastructure projects did not provide details on the type of structure being built.
Speaking on ANC, Bonoan said the DPWH has begun looking into the status of around 9,855 flood control projects after the President’s SONA.
But Bonoan said the current focus now of the agency is on the 15 contractors to “see what projects [were] undertaken, what is the status, so that we can report back to the President.”
Asked about the propriety of some public officials’ links to the private companies, Bonoan said it was “not part of the criteria” to look into the personalities affiliated with the contractors.
Among the contractors on Marcos’ list is Sunwest, Inc., formerly Sunwest Construction and Development Corp. based in Albay. The firm is being linked to Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, who earlier said that he had already divested his shares from the company.
Sunwest secured numerous contracts in the Bicol Region, including a flood control structure in Catanduanes worth over P192 million, although it has other projects with bigger price tags in places like Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro.
“In the documents about Sunwest, I don’t know if the owner or affiliates were indicated. We’re just looking at the documents submitted and checking their accreditation with agencies,” Bonoan said.
“That is the only basis for us to look into whenever there is a bidding that is conducted all over the country,” he added.
