Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Wednesday exposed the widespread corruption in the flood control projects involving Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, contractors, and politicians, revealing the massive misuse of taxpayer money.

His scathing remarks on the Senate floor mirrored President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s anger during an inspection at Purok 4, Barangay Piel, Baliuag, Bulacan, where a flood control project listed as completed in DPWH records was nowhere to be found.

The project — a 220-meter concrete river wall supposedly built by Syms Construction Trading and valued at P55 million — showed no trace of construction on the ground.

“Not one day of work. Nothing. You can’t see anything. That’s why flooding continues over here,” Marcos, visibly frustrated, told reporters. He said that if flood control projects were properly carried out, the irrigation, industrial and fresh water needs of the community would have been addressed.

In response, Marcos ordered Syms Construction blacklisted from government projects and flagged for potential charges under the Revised Penal Code and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019).

He also ordered a thorough investigation into the contractor’s other projects, noting that the government would now have to build the river wall.

“Things would have been better for the people, but what they did was really harmful,” the President said. “No, I’m not disappointed. I’m angry.”

After the Commission on Audit (CoA) ordered a fraud review of all flood control projects in Bulacan, Marcos warned he will press charges against erring contractors.

“Yes, if need be. This is falsification — plain and simple,” Marcos said, adding that larger contractors found guilty of sabotage could face heavier penalties.

“If all these projects were done properly, the government’s debt would be far less. Now, we must trace where the money went. We will chase it, we will sue them. But how long will that take?” he said.

The President added that a legal team is now reviewing DPWH records alongside complaints from the public.

Drowning in corruption

In his privilege speech at the Senate plenary session, Lacson tore into what he described as “systemic, institutionalized” corruption involving billions of pesos worth of flood control projects — a problem, he said, that has done more than just inundate the nation’s streets, but has drowned it in greed.

Lacson exposed the government officials, contractors, and lawmakers who he claimed exploited the flood control program for personal gain, using taxpayer money to fund defective, overpriced, and ghost infrastructure projects.

“More than flood control, what the Filipino people badly need is greed control,” Lacson said.

Unmasking corruption

Between 2011 and 2025, Lacson said the national government poured over P1.9 trillion into flood control management under the DPWH.

He noted that more than P1 trillion was allocated in past budgets for flood control measures in just the last three years from 2023 to 2025.

“When we are speaking about trillions of pesos, we should expect our streets and low-lying communities to be flood-free when the rains pour,” Lacson said.

And yet, with each monsoon rain and typhoon, homes are submerged, lives are lost, and newly built structures are destroyed, he said.

Lacson unveiled what he described as the “pie sharing” method of corruption — an elaborate system of kickbacks, commissions, and bribes disguised as standard procedures — that significantly reduces the funds for public works.

In a typical P100 million flood control project, the senator explained, eight to 10 percent goes to DPWH officials, five to six percent to the bids and awards committee, 0.5 to one percent to CoA personnel, another five to six percent as a “parking fee” to local politicians who oversee the project location, and a massive 20 to 25 percent to the “funder” or lawmaker who proposed the project.

As a result, Lacson said, less than 40 percent of the budget is left for the actual construction — if the project even gets built at all.

Distinct projects: Ghost, clones

Lacson revealed another scheme involving so-called “distinct” projects — coded, cloned, or ghost flood control initiatives that have identical contract amounts, despite clear differences in their design, scope, and location.

He explained that “distinct” are budget items in the GAA and awarded contracts with identical figures, in which politicians and DPWH officials mark their territories for the projects.

“Distinct — because according to our informants inside the DPWH, and confirmed by some contractors, this is a ‘coded budget’ to identify the ‘owners’ of the projects. For those who understand, it simply means ‘that’s mine,’” Lacson said in Filipino.

Lacson flagged 28 separate projects in 2024 alone, all pegged at P72 million each in Bulacan’s 1st Engineering District, citing them as examples of “distinct” anomalies.

He also mentioned two former district engineers, Henry Alcantara and Brice Hernandez, both of whom were removed from their posts amid reports of irregularities and gambling losses in the hundreds of millions.

One of the most glaring examples of the corruption, according to Lacson, is the Candating flood control project in Arayat, Pampanga, which is plagued by repeated flooding despite years of repairs.

Originally funded at P20 million in 2018, Lacson said the project swelled to P91.6 million in 2023 and P183 million in 2024, split into two phases.

In 2025, a new P100 million allocation was lined up, but this was blocked by Malacañang before its release, he said.

“If the original construction cost was only P20 million in 2018, why did the repair cost balloon to 350 percent or P91 million in 2023 and another P183 million in 2024, for an overall increase of 815 percent?” Lacson asked.

He pointed out that Eddmari Construction bagged at least P274.8 million for works in Candating, despite being delisted as a builder by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

The construction company was previously tapped to handle the rehabilitation of the war-torn Marawi City.

Lacson also flagged the Bauang River Basin projects in La Union, which were not in the original National Expenditure Program (NEP) but mysteriously surfaced in the final 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

“Abrakadabra,” Lacson said, revealing that Naguilian, La Union, which was originally set to receive just P100 million for two flood control projects, suddenly found itself with10 packages worth P967 million.

Hotbeds of pork barrel

In contrast, the municipality of Bauang, which had a zero allocation in the NEP, ended up with P623 million spread across seven identical P89 million packages.

All the projects, both in Bauang and Naguilian, he said, were awarded to a single contractor named Silverwolves Construction Corporation.

Lacson then turned to Oriental Mindoro, particularly the towns of Baco and Naujan, as hotbeds of “pork barrel” insertions under the AGILA (Aksyon Gobyerno at Inisyatibo sa Larangang Lehislatura) Congressional Project.

He criticized the “troubling” political branding and ownership of infrastructure projects. “Projects openly claimed as ‘congressional insertions,’” he said.

In Baco, a P95-million flood control structure in Barangay Burbuli was awarded once again to Silverwolves Construction.

Lacson reiterated that the company was flagged for being funded through unprogrammed appropriations, a process requiring excess revenues or special conditions, raising red flags on how the project secured such approval.

He also noted that Naujan, Oriental Mindoro received a sweeping 55 percent of the province’s 2025 flood control budget, which he said was equivalent to P10 billion for flood control projects in Naujan town alone.

“Fair enough, given the coastal topography of the municipality, which includes lowland plains and extensive river systems such as the Mag-Asawang Tubig, Naujan, and its people badly need flood control interventions,” he said.

Lacson pressed on to Barangay Mulawin, where P1.9 billion was allocated for eight projects, yet drone footage revealed collapsed road dikes, some just three months after being marked “completed.”

He likewise questioned the quality of materials and the oversight in the P2.55-billion flood control projects in Barangay Tagumpay that were destroyed twice this year.

In Sitio Dike, Barangay Apitong, a P192.99-million project by Elite General Contractor and Development Corporation was officially tagged as “completed” for 2024.

“The problem? No project exists,” Lacson asserted.

According to the senator, residents confirmed that no flood control structure had been constructed in their area despite showing consistent coordinates across DPWH records and “Sumbong sa Pangulo” listings.

Lacson called for honest, transparent deliberations in the upcoming 2026 national budget.

“When a few good officials or remorseful men are willing to speak truth to power, they must be heard. They must be seen. They must be protected,” he said. “The depth of corruption has become so overwhelming that it drowns us in our sad state.”