Erice: Flood control ‘whole of gov’t’ op

The multibillion-peso flood control corruption scheme was carried out under a “whole of government” approach involving coordination among the Executive, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, according to Caloocan 2nd District Representative Edgar Erice.

Speaking on DAILY TRIBUNE’s Straight Talk program, Erice claimed the General Appropriations Act (GAA) — under which the “ghost” flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways were implemented — was approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

He said that since the start of the Marcos administration, Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) in the GAA had ballooned, with billions in standby funds tapped to bankroll corruption through flood control releases.

Earlier this year, Erice, along with Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima, asked the Supreme Court to strike down a portion of the UA, arguing that the standby funds were unconstitutional and vulnerable to abuse.

“My petition on the unconstitutionality of the unprogrammed appropriations — where the Supreme Court requested the SARO or special allotment release order — revealed that these funds were being released for flood control,” he said in Filipino.

“That means the President was approving the releases because they cannot be disbursed without the President’s knowledge — that’s a requirement,” he stressed.

Erice also linked delays in major infrastructure projects — such as the Metro Manila Subway and the North extension of the Philippine National Railways — to what he claimed was the diversion of funds to ghost infrastructure projects.

He warned that these postponements would drive up government costs as construction materials continue to become more expensive.

Asked whom he believes masterminded the alleged corruption scheme, Erice pointed to former Representative Zaldy Co and the other lawmakers involved in crafting and approving the national budget, saying they were in a position to understand how the funding for the flood control program was structured.

As a way forward, Erice urged Senator Panfilo Lacson, chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, to dig deeper into the controversy, saying a thorough investigation could lead to reforms that would prevent similar abuses in the future.

On Tuesday, Lacson in a privilege speech defended his committee’s ongoing probe into the flood control controversy amid criticism from some politicians over its process and scope.

He said the inquiry has yielded concrete results, including the filing of cases against officials implicated in the issue.

He maintained that the panel’s initial report was evidence-based and supported by key witness testimonies, which helped establish a trail pointing to possible liabilities.

“If the allegations are false, the process will clear them. If true, the process will convict, with due process and accountability,” Lacson said in his privilege speech.

Background of flood control controversy

The “flood control mess” refers to allegations that billions of pesos allocated for DPWH flood control projects were overpriced, poorly designed, or never implemented, with some lawmakers and contractors accused of pocketing funds through so-called “ghost projects.”

An independent DPWH infrastructure commission and the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee have both recommended filing charges against several officials and at least four congressmen. Those implicated — including CWS Rep. Edwin Gardiola — have denied wrongdoing and maintain that their projects were legitimate.

Erice and De Lima’s petition before the Supreme Court challenges around P150 billion in unprogrammed appropriations in the 2026 national budget, arguing that the broad discretion for releasing these funds, combined with weak oversight, enabled the diversion of resources from priority infrastructure projects, such as rail systems, to questionable flood control initiatives.