Candating flood control project collapses despite P295M in funding

Arayat, Pampanga — Residents of Barangay Candating are demanding accountability after the repeated collapse of a P280-million flood control project that has already received nearly P295 million in public funding since 2018.

Originally budgeted at P20 million seven years ago, the Rehabilitation of the Eroded Bank of Pampanga River in Candating has been funded five separate times, with allocations of P20 million in 2018, P91 million in 2023, P182 million in 2024 (two contracts at P91 million each), and P100 million in 2025.

All contracts were awarded to Eddmari Construction and Trading, owned by Edgar Saggum, the brother-in-law of Congresswoman Anna York Bondoc-Sagum of Pampanga’s 4th District.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, in a speech, questioned how the company continued to secure contracts despite repeated failures. “This kind of scheme is a morally wicked cycle of corruption,” Lacson said, pointing out that the firm had been delisted by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development in 2023 but still managed to win projects.

From 2023 to 2024 alone, the company received P274.8 million in rehabilitation contracts aside from the original P20 million infrastructure budget. Another P100 million was set aside for 2025 before Malacañang halted the release of funds.

Last year, a portion of the project’s slope protection structure caved in, forcing some residents to abandon their homes. At least 26 houses were at risk of being destroyed. The Candating flood control project has since been cited as a prime example of failed flood protection initiatives in the country.

Six barangay kagawads of Candating — Joseph Hipolito, Manny Mariano, Jace Pineda, Riza Guttierez, Arnold Alicuman, and Gonzalo Mesa — signed a letter calling for an independent investigation into the collapse of the project despite massive funding.

The flood control structure, initially identified as a priority infrastructure by former Pampanga lawmaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., has now become mired in controversy, with residents left exposed to flooding risks while public money continues to pour into rehabilitation contracts.