House leaders dare Magalong on flood control allegations: Name names

A senior House leader dared Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Thursday to name names of legislators he accused of being highly involved in the alleged anomalies in the flood control projects. 

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said Magalong should also substantiate his claims against members of Congress, asserting that grave accusations require solid proof.

"Please be careful with throwing accusations. It's easy to say things, but it's hard to prove them," Abante averred. “If he believes some are guilty, name names, submit documents, and testify under oath. That is how we clean up the system.”

The solon advised Magalong to refrain from indiscriminately pointing fingers at House members, pointing out that his “statements are an insult to the institution that we work hard to preserve and promote.”

"I hope the mayor recants his statements,” he added.

Magalong has been vocal in accusing members of Congress as the culprits behind the corruption-plagued flood control projects, alleging that lawmakers were receiving 30 to 40 percent kickbacks from the projects.

He also cast doubt on how Congress is handling the inquiry and, in other issues within the same controversy, describing them as “moro-moro,” or a colloquial term for a sham or staged act.

Lanao del Sur Zia Adiong, meanwhile, took offense at how Magalong used “moro-moro” to describe the congressional investigations, stressing that he should be “sensitive” in using terms that carry historical baggage for Muslim communities.

“Words carry history. We should never trivialize the struggles of Moro communities by turning that term into an insult,” he lamented. “It is the Congress' job to investigate due to its oversight powers. If someone is at fault, accountability will follow.”

A House tri-committee, comprising the panels of public accounts, public works, and good government and public accountability, has been formed to look into reports that the government’s flood-control projects, with a price tag of a whopping P545.64 billion, are marred by corruption. 

This includes alleged use of substandard materials, as well as ghosts and incomplete projects. 

Lawmakers said they will welcome Magalong’s participation in the probe “so it becomes part of the official record.”

The investigation follows Marcos’ avowal in his fourth SONA to crack down on corruption in flood control projects and go after erring contractors and members of Congress found to be in cahoots with the construction firms. 

Senator Panfilo Lacson earlier claimed that 67 House members in the previous Congress had complete control over the project funds because either they or their relatives were the contractors for the government’s flood mitigation program.

Of the 2,400 contractors, Marcos said only 15 firms have bagged P100 billion for flood control projects since he assumed office in June 2022, up to May of this year, accounting for 20 percent of the entire P545 billion.