Trail of evidence

For obvious reasons, there have been unmistakable aggressive efforts in deflecting the public outrage away from the original sinners in the multibillion-peso “ghost” flood control projects. Notably, the storm started on the mid-term State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) last July 21. It was when PBBM unleashed the national outrage after his now infamous dig against lawmakers: “Mahiya naman kayo.”

PBBM hurled such derision against the congressional initiatives, insertions and errata that went into the 2025 budget approved into law by the 19th Congress. To this end, PBBM tasked then Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan to conduct audit investigation of its flood control projects for the past three years. Specifically, the Chief Executive directed Bonoan to investigate the specific congressional re-alignments in the 2025 budget law that went to non-administration flood control and other infrastructure projects.

In compliance with the presidential directives, Bonoan reported the results of the DPWH internal audit investigation, showing the Marcos administration spent as much as P545 billion in flood control projects from 2022 to 2023. In a full-blown press conference at Malacañang last Aug. 11, PBBM announced the DPWH audit tagged 15 contractors as having cornered most of the yearly agency budget on flood control projects.

“However, this is another disturbing assessment, statistic: 20 percent of the entire P545-billion budget napunta lang sa 15 na contractors. Sa 15 na contractors na ‘yan, lima sa kanila ay may kontrata sa buong Pilipinas,” the Chief Executive noted.

So who would not get angry and embarrassed?

More than three years into office, what has the Marcos administration got to show for such huge sums of public funds spent for flood control projects? After overflowing river systems subsided, it turned out there was no flood control project done at all. So many Filipino lives and properties perished due to severe flooding.

The 15 contractors involved in these alleged “ghost” flood control projects in the DPWH were: Legacy Construction Corp.; Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor; St. Timothy Construction, QM Builders; EGB Construction, Topnotch Catalyst; Centerways Construction; Sunwest, Hi-Tone Construction; Triple 8 Construction; Royal Crown Monarch; Wawao Builders; MG Samidan Construction; L.R. Tiqui Builders and Road Edge Trading.

At the ensuing Senate Blue Ribbon committee public hearing on the flood control scandal, it turned out the Discayas own three of the 15 biggest DPWH contractors, namely Legacy Construction Corp., Alpha and Omega Gen. Contractor & Dev’t Corp. and St. Timothy Construction Corp. Under oath, Sarah Discaya admitted they actually own nine construction-related companies that bid against each other for the same projects at the DPWH.

Incidentally, Sarah Discaya ran but lost her mayoral bid against re-electionist Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto. Her mayoral bid capitalized on election campaign showing off her family wealth and luxurious lifestyle. Those became evidence on how the Discaya couple illegally amassed wealth and these are now subject to “freeze orders” of the court on all of their family’s known assets.

The Albay-based Sunwest Inc., which was formerly Sunwest Construction and Development Corp., is linked to Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co who previously chaired the House committee on appropriations. Claiming he had divested his ownership shares in the family-owned company, he co-steered the approval of the 2025 GAA that contained the alleged “ghost” flood control projects. But before he could even be investigated, Co flew abroad and remains beyond the reach of Philippine laws.

In September, PBBM issued Executive Order 94 creating a three-man fact-finding body called the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI). EO 94 tasked the ICI to look into questionable flood control and other infrastructure projects for the past 10 years. Though with limited powers, the ICI has so far submitted eight interim reports to the Office of the Ombudsman that recommended further investigations of several members of Congress, DPWH officials, contractors, among others.

So far, three Marcos Cabinet members, several sub-Cabinet officials who have appeared before the ICI have resigned one after the other in the aftermath of this flood control project scandal. Bonoan was the first to step down, followed by executive secretary Lucas Bersamin and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) secretary Amenah Pangandaman.

Scores of DPWH district engineers got sacked from their respective posts and are currently detained while undergoing preliminary investigation for malversation, bribery, fraud, plunder, graft and other criminal and administrative cases so far filed against all of them.

Last Nov. 11, PBBM confidently declared many of those named in the flood control mess will have their cases completed before Christmas. “They’ll be jailed. There will be no Merry Christmas for them,” PBBM vowed. Acting DPWH Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon and even newly installed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla echoed the President’s Christmas timeline.

Subsequently, the President back-pedaled on his self-imposed timeline. PBBM invoked the need to observe due process to build up air-tight cases against the accused. “We’ll follow the evidence. And wherever that leads is not something that we try to direct or influence,” PBBM swore.

Fast forward.

Except for a few of the 15 contractors, nothing much is heard or reported on the developments of specific cases on the rest of the alleged perpetrators of the flood control scam.

Sadly, there were at least three incidents this year of suspicious deaths involving DPWH officials, the latest of which was the suspected suicide of the late undersecretary for planning and public-private partnership (PPP) service of the DPWH, Maria Catalina Cabral. Cabral fell into a deep ravine in Tuba, Benguet last Dec. 18. These incidents took place separately one after the other earlier this year.

Dubbed as the “Cabral files,” Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste has partially released to the public certain parts that contain the names of proponents in Congress of flood control projects. These were actually the “wish list” of senators and House members who submitted their proposed flood control projects for inclusion in the 2025 DPWH budget.

While the trail of evidence has become sordid, it does not, however, end with the death of Cabral.