Senator Panfilo Lacson is urging the private sector to help address the country’s flooding problem while continuing his probe into alleged “ghost” and substandard flood control projects worth over P2 trillion in the past 15 years.
Lacson cited San Miguel Corp. president Ramon Ang’s offer to clean Metro Manila’s waterways at no cost to the government as an opportunity for Malacañang to appeal to the corporate social responsibility programs of other large companies.
“Imagine if the country’s richest families will pool their CSR (corporate social responsibility) resources together and do what the government spends hundreds of billions on in tax money every fiscal year, but seems to fail to deliver. It may be a little out of the box, but why not?” he said.
He said if Ang’s initiative proves effective, he will push to cut the 2026 flood management budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
In July, Lacson revealed that DPWH had received more than P2 trillion for flood management since 2011, yet the problem persists.
The senator is currently verifying reports of completed projects listed in official records that, in reality, were never built and were later funded again in subsequent budgets.
He said this cycle allows questionable projects to be hidden from scrutiny unless carefully cross-checked with ground inspections and budget documents.
Another alleged scheme involves the use of substandard materials and work that fails to meet project specifications.
Lacson is also looking into cases where a DPWH district engineer allegedly operates a personal construction firm to take over projects from contractors, who are then pressured to comply to secure future approvals.
With President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordering an investigation into flood control projects, Lacson noted that contractors might face the first wave of accountability.
“Our verification is ongoing. I am careful and need to be factual, so I am checking on the ground,” he said.
According to the senator, some projects might have been destroyed by calamities, which would explain their absence despite being listed as completed.
“It cannot be just a single validation because that would be risky. I need to be certain, and I will not make accusations unless I am sure of them,” he concluded.
