Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Wednesday exposed widespread corruption involving Department of Public Works and Highways officials, contractors, and politicians behind anomalous flood control projects.

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

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

“More than flood control, what the Filipino people badly need to see is greed control,” Lacson declared before the Senate plenary.

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 for the passed budget for flood control measures in just the last three years from 2023 to 2025.

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

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

Furthermore, 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 actually used for public works. 

In a typical P100 million flood control project, the senator explained, 8-10 percent allegedly goes to DPWH officials, 5-6 percent to the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), 0.5-1 percent to COA personnel, another 5-6 percent as a “parking fee” for local politicians who control the project location, and a massive 20-25 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 further revealed a scheme involving so-called “distinct” projects — coded, cloned, or ghost flood control initiatives that share 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 — dahil ayon sa aming mga informants sa loob ng dpwh at kinumpirma ng ilang contractors, ‘coded na budget’ ito para mayroong pagkakakilanlan ang mga ‘may-ari' ng proyekto. para sa nakakaunawa, ang ibig sabihin po ay ‘akin yan’ (Distinct—according to our informants inside the DPWH and confirmed by several contractors, refers to a ‘coded budget that identifies the real ‘owner’ or backer of the project. For those familiar with the system, it simply means: ‘That one’s mine’,” Lacson revealed. 

Lacson flagged 28 separate projects in 2024 alone with all pegged at P72 million each in Bulacan’s 1st Engineering District, citing them as examples of these “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 alleged ties to gambling losses worth hundreds of millions.

One of the most glaring examples, according to Lacson, is the Candating flood control project in Arayat, Pampanga, citing it as a site plagued by repeated flooding despite years of repairs.

Originally funded at P20 million in 2018, Lacson further noted that the same project ballooned to P91.6 million in 2023, and another P183 million in 2024 across two separate phases.

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

“If the original construction cost was only 20 million pesos in 2018, why did the repair cost balloon to 350 percent or  91 million in 2023 and another 183 million pesos in 2024, or an overall increase of 815 percent?,” Lacson asked.

He pointed out that Eddmari Construction bagged at least P274.8 million for works in Candating, Arayat, despite being previously 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. 

Also, the senator mentioned the Bauang River Basin in La Union, where flood control projects not found in the original National Expenditure Program (NEP) mushroomed in the final 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

“Abrakadabra,” Lacson lamented, revealing that Naguilian, La Union, originally set to receive just P100 million for two flood control projects, suddenly found itself with P967 million worth of ten (10) packages.

Hot beds of pork barrel

In contrast, the municipality of Bauang, which had 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 turned to Oriental Mindoro, particularly the towns of Baco and Naujan, as hotbeds of alleged “pork barrel” insertions under the banner of AGILA (Aksyon Gobyerno at Inisyatibo sa Larangang Lehislatura) Congressional Project. 

He criticized the “troubling” political branding and ownership of infrastructure projects. 

“Ang mga proyektong lantarang inaangkin bilang (The projects openly claimed as) ‘congressional insertion,” he stressed. 

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% of the province’s 2025 flood control budget, which he noted is equivalent to P10 billion for flood control projects just in Naujan Town alone. 

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

Lacson pressed on Barangay Mulawin, in which a P1.9 billion was allocated for 8 projects, yet drone footage revealed collapsed road dikes, some just three months after being marked "completed." 

He likewise questioned the material quality and oversight of the P2.55 billion worth of flood control efforts in Barangay Tagumpay that were twice destroyed this year, raising serious questions about material quality and oversight.

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, and the project appeared nonexistent, despite consistent coordinates across DPWH records and “Sumbong sa Pangulo” listings.

Pulling trigger

Lacson praised President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for launching the “SumbongSaPangulo” website, which the senator said significantly aided his team in tracking anomalous flood control projects through geotagged data and public reports.

“Last week, the President took aim. Today, I am pulling the trigger,” Lacson declared.

“Para sa ating mga kababayan, nakatutok ang aking presentasyon sa araw na ito sa mga flood control projects pa lamang. Hindi pa rito kasama ang iba pang mga infrastructure projects na punong-puno rin ng anomalya (For our fellow Filipinos, my presentation today focuses solely on flood control projects. This does not yet include other infrastructure projects, which are also riddled with anomalies)” he added. 

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

“Let us show the people that we can lead with integrity. Let us not hear them say next year — ‘Mga walang hiya kayo!’”Lacson also hinted at a growing number of insiders — district engineers, contractors, and citizens — ready to expose the corruption, if only they’re guaranteed protection.

“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.”