Chavit Singson blasts Marcos Jr. over flood control scandal

Former Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson delivered a scathing critique of the Marcos Jr. administration on Monday evening, calling the ongoing flood control failures “the biggest corruption scheme” he has witnessed in his decades of public service.

“My fellow Filipinos, I speak to you today as someone who has dedicated his life to public service and loved this country too much to stay silent,” Singson said, highlighting what he describes as a lack of coordination, transparency, and planning in the government’s flood control programs.

Singson pointed to the administration’s half-trillion peso investment in flood control, covering over 9,800 projects, yet he said flooding continues to worsen. He cited dikes failing to protect rivers, farmers losing crops, and homes being washed away, emphasizing the human cost of these alleged mismanaged projects.

“Without a master plan, without coordination or honesty, public funds are being spent haphazardly,” Singson said.

“Every major flood project, every rehabilitation program, every large-scale public work passes through the President’s desk. He reviews every plan and approves every peso. So tell me, how can anyone say, ‘I don’t know?’”

Singson outlined the government’s budget process, explaining that the President personally reviews and approves the National Expenditure Program (NEP), directs the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and ultimately signs the General Appropriations Act (GAA) into law.

He said the Marcos Jr. administration cannot deflect blame for failures in flood management.

“Corruption has been allowed to flood every agency of his government,” Singson said. “It is a failure of leadership at the very top. What our President is doing is shifting the blame to others to save himself.”

He added that the administration’s Build Better More (BBM) program has instead become “Build More, Waste More,” criticizing the absence of a science-based, long-term flood control master plan.

Singson concluded with a direct challenge to President Marcos Jr., questioning the moral and administrative accountability of the country’s top leader.

The remarks come amid rising public concern over worsening floods in multiple regions, rising commodity prices, and the impact on farmers and low-income communities.