Who would have thought that those few words which the President uttered as part of his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July would have such never-imagined far-reaching effects?
“Mahiya naman kayo sa mga kababayan nating naanod o nalubog sa mga pagbaha. Mahiya naman kayo lalo sa mga anak natin na magmamana sa mga utang na ginawa ninyo, na binulsa niyo lang ang pera.”
The President also mentioned during his speech how during his inspection of the effects of typhoons Crising, Dante and Emong, he saw that many flood control projects were substandard and some even imagined.
“Huwag na po tayong magkunwari. Alam naman ng buong madla na nagkaka-raket sa mga proyekto. Mga kickback, mga initiative, errata, SOP, for the boys. Kaya sa mga nakikipagsabwatan upang kunin ang pondo ng bayan at nakawin ang kinabukasan ng ating mga mamamayan, mahiya naman kayo sa inyong kapwa Pilipino.”
So that this will not happen again, he directed the Department of Public Works and Highways to immediately submit to him a list of all flood control projects from every region that were started or completed in the last three years and the Regional Project Monitoring Committee to examine that list of projects and give a report on those that have been failures, those that were not finished and those that are alleged to be ghost projects.
The country’s Chief Executive also said that this list will be published so that the public, which has been witness to these projects, will be free to analyze this list and share whatever they know to help in the investigation.
He likewise said during his address that there will be an audit and performance review regarding these projects to check and make sure and to know how the public’s money is spent.
In the next few months, the President emphasized that cases will be filed against those found to be responsible and that someone has to be held accountable due to the massive damage and corruption.
For the 2026 national budget, he announced that he will return any proposed General Appropriations Bill that is not fully aligned with the National Expenditure Program and that he is willing to do this even if the government ends up with a reenacted budget. The President said that he will not approve any budget that is not in line with the government’s plan for the Filipino people.
Unprogrammed appropriations were among the issues raised in connection with the 2025 General Appropriations Act amidst allegations of insertions during the bicameral.
The Marcos administration said that it is reducing as well the share of unprogrammed appropriations or standby funds in the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget next year from the P363.42 billion level in the 2025 GAA to P249.99 billion or a 68.79-percent reduction.
The amount is equivalent to 3.68 percent of the proposed 2026 National Expenditure Program budget compared to the 5.7 percent share of unprogrammed appropriations in the 2025 GAA.
Seven weeks from that defining moment, PBBM has worked tirelessly for the momentum not to go to waste.
Just a few days after SONA, the President announced the top 15 contractors with the most flood control projects, cornering 20 percent of P545-billion worth of flood control contracts.
The disclosure resulted in investigations in aid of legislation at both Houses of Congress while the Bureau of Customs conducted raids at the residence of the top contractor and confiscated luxury vehicles with spurious documentation.
The executive director of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board resigned on Sept. 3 amid allegations of corruption involving a ‘registration for sale’ scheme.
On Sept. 11, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) was created by the President thru Executive Order 94, and the three members of the Commission were sworn to office on Sept. 15. The ICI hit the ground running the very next day.
Following the resignation of Secretary Manuel Bonoan on Sept. 1, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon was transferred to the DPWH and was tasked by the President to clean up the agency.
Dizon has since filed complaints at the Ombudsman, terminated for cause a number of DPWH employees and initiated the issuance of lookout bulletins against certain personalities.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) subsequently ordered the freezing of bank accounts and insurance policies of individuals and corporations allegedly linked to anomalous flood control projects. On Sept. 16, the Court of Appeals granted the freeze order.
The freeze order covered 135 bank accounts and 27 insurance policies and was issued in line with requests made by the DPWH to the AMLC. The freezing of accounts was in connection with the first complaint filed by the DPWH to the Office of the Ombudsman against the so-called “BGC Boys” or Bulacan Group of Contractors namely former OIC-assistant regional director Henry Alcantara, former OIC district engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez and former OIC-assist district engineer Jaypee Mendoza as well as Sarah Discaya and Curlee Discaya of St. Timothy Construction Corp., Mark Allan Arevalo of Wawao Builders, Sally Santos of SYMS Construction Trading and Robert Imperio of IM Construction Corp.
A number of senators and congressmen were also linked to the anomalies relating to these questionable flood control projects leading to a leadership shake-up in Congress.
Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez has resigned as speaker of the House of Representatives following allegations linking lawmakers to questionable public works projects, including the former appropriations committee chair, Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co. Sen. Francis Escudero was unseated as Senate President after claims surfaced about him having illegally received campaign contributions from a major contractor of public works projects.
The President earlier stressed that there would be no sacred cows in the ICI investigation.
Since its launching on Aug. 11, the Sumbong sa Pangulo website has generated 16,275 reports and complaints, which the President himself monitors.
The people are angry, and the anger is directed at those in government whose dirty hands have been dipping inside the cookie jar for God knows how long.
The shamelessness is disgusting, the magnitude is mind-boggling.
The President has done the right thing, by treading the path where no one else before him ever dared.
At risk of losing friends and allies halfway through his term, PBBM has damned the torpedoes. For what is strong leadership, if not seizing the bull by the horns?
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