The press conference of President BBM has created a maelstrom of reactions when he named the 15 top contractors who control 20 percent of the P500-billion flood control projects in the recent past.
He admitted what we all know – that even as we spend more and more money on these projects, the floods get worse every year. This is not surprising since barely 30-40 percent of the budget is actually spent on flood control, while the rest go into the “pockets” of many people.
While this is all common knowledge, it captured the headlines because it was a President of the Philippines that came out with these accusations.
The reactions from different sectors and personalities are, of course, varied. Former Public Works secretary Babes Singson posted a short but educational message on this issue. He wrote that it is really corruption that has stopped our full potential as a country. He further said: “I have done an in-depth study and it even started when the Philippines was paid Reparations Compensation in cash and in form of basic industrial plant including car assembly, welding electrodes, ship building, propeller manufacturing. None of these were ever used to start Philippine industrialization, all due to corruption.”
Singson was referring to the Reparations Compensation paid by the Japanese government to the Philippine government after the Second World War as compensation for destruction wrought by the Japanese in the Philippines during the war.
According to Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the government has spent P2 trillion in 15 years for flood control, or P365 million a day. Yet, the floods have worsened. Lacson said half or one P1 trillion of the P2 trillion was stolen. Lacson further said that only 40 percent of flood control budgets goes to the project, while 60 percent is stolen by our elected representatives and their contractors. He added that of 300 congressmen, at least 67 are contractors.
In contrast, Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corporation said at a lunch on Aug. 8, 2025, that he would volunteer at no cost to the government to solve the recurring floods in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. He further said that cleaning 34 kilometers of Bulacan rivers costs only P500 million.
A different response to the exposé of President BBM was made by Senate President Chiz Escudero. His name was linked to one of the 15 major flood control contractors who had a total contract amounting to more than P5 billion. This contractor was said to have contributed P30 million to the campaign of Escudero.
The real issue is, of course, what will happen next. Will all of these revelations be forgotten after a few months or maybe even weeks? Will a new controversy simply overshadow this? Corollary to this is which entity will conduct the investigation?
The Senate would be a logical entity but who in the Senate will conduct these investigations? The logical persons would be Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, chairman of the Blue Ribbon committee; Sen. Mark Villar, chairman of the public works committee and possibly Sen. Robinhood Padilla, the potential chairman of the Senate ethics committee.
In the House, they will have to identify first the 67 congressmen who are contractors and other congressmen who have links to contractors.
I have my own proposal which may be considered radical in some aspects. I propose that President BBM convene a special panel of individuals with impeccable integrity and reputation. This should exclude personalities who have been actively involved in the impeachment controversy.
First on my list is Cardinal Virgilio David of Caloocan, who has also developed a reputation for personal courage. The second person I would nominate is Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, who has developed an international reputation for fearless investigative journalism. My third nominee is former Public Works secretary Rogelio Singson, who can add his technical expertise and insights to the panel which will also require at least one member with an engineering background.
A fourth individual that would have the credentials and the integrity to be part of this panel is business leader Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala. The fifth person I would nominate is Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Ramon Magsaysay awardee who chaired the peace panel for the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
This is not an exhaustive list. If you have names to nominate, please email me elfrencruz@gmail.com.
This panel should be given the legal authority to subpoena any witness that they would need to testify. If President BBM is serious, this investigation by an impeccable panel could be the start of a serious war on corruption. Such an effort could go hand in hand with the revival of investigative journalism by all sectors of media.
This could be the beginning of what we all dream for our country.