Pacifico and Cezarah Discaya appear at the resumption on September 8 of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on flood control projects | Photo Senate of the Philippines by Senate of the Philippines (Social Media Unit) via Wikimedia Commons
It is absolutely not surprising to see the outrage of Filipinos over the massive corruption in flood control projects, which clearly shows how extensive the cancer has taken place, with hundreds of billions of pesos in taxpayer money stolen by corrupt politicians and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways in connivance with unscrupulous contractors. Many are venting their anger through social media, with users creating satirical posts that mock and make fun of the absurdly extravagant lifestyles of contractors and their relatives, along with jokes and memes – many of which have since gone viral – to express their dismay and frustration.
President Bongbong Marcos intentionally opened the proverbial can of worms when he called for an investigation into these anomalous flood control projects shortly after revealing that 15 contractors have been cornering 20 percent of the P545 billion allocated in the last three years for flood control projects in the country.
Let’s not kid ourselves – we know that corruption has been ongoing for decades. Still, the staggering amounts, combined with the personalities being implicated, seem to have reached a whole new level. The people want these crooked contractors to be blacklisted and are demanding accountability from politicians and government officials. They are also calling for transparent and credible investigations into these anomalous projects.
Knowing both Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson and DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon personally, I’m very confident that they will be able to get to the bottom of this gargantuan corruption in government.
Vince is a straight shooter who acts fast and gets things done, with a reputation for being a decisive “trouble shooter” with a results-oriented approach – demanding efficiency from government employees to improve public service. People saw this during his stint as Transportation secretary and are expectant – and hopeful – that he will do the same with the DPWH, especially since his first act upon his appointment was to demand the courtesy resignation of officials from top to bottom to give him room to “clean up corruption” in the department.
Three DPWH executives from the Bulacan 1st district engineering office were fired, while criminal complaints have been filed against 20 additional personnel and four private contractors, with more forthcoming. He also requested the Department of Justice to issue Immigration Lookout Bulletin Orders (ILBO) against several individuals, including former DPWH secretary Manny Bonoan, a local politician, and executives of construction companies, to track their movements in case they decide to leave the country amid the ongoing investigations.
In addition, he also ordered a temporary suspension of all bidding for locally funded projects to review the contracts. He abolished the agency’s own anti-graft task force, saying “it does not seem right” for the agency to be investigating itself – a decision that strongly resonated with the people.
I have known Senator Ping for a long time and have always believed in his no-nonsense approach. I was even hopeful in the past that he would one day become president. His explosive and powerful privilege speech on the “floodgates of corruption” exposed the systemic corruption in the flood control projects in the country and showcased once again his skill as a forensic investigator. He provided details that revealed a consistent pattern of corruption, where public funds are systematically diverted through “insertions,” bloated project costs, fixed bidding, and kickbacks or split commissions resulting from collusion between DPWH officials, contractors, and politicians.
His revelations were accompanied by documents that seem to uncover a trail of questionable fund insertions and, following the money trail, he revealed that a group of DPWH engineers dubbed as the “BGC Boys” used fraudulent IDs to play in casinos where they incurred losses estimated at P950 million, and cashed in winnings amounting to billions, indicative of a money laundering scheme. As a result, the Anti-Money Laundering Council said it will investigate the casinos and individuals linked to the questionable flood control projects, including their relatives.
” … Even as we focus on fighting corruption, we must not lose sight of the challenges our country faces beyond our shores. We have only one country, and now, more than ever, Filipinos must unite as we face those who continue to challenge our sovereignty as a nation.”
Senator Ping and Secretary Vince are doing their own investigations; undoubtedly, they will be incessant in making sure these crooks are exposed, held accountable, and severely punished. It has really been so frustrating for many, especially overseas Filipino workers, whom I can very well relate to, because they work very hard, hoping their remittances can help support the economy.
For those of us working diligently to promote the Philippines as a favorable investment destination, hearing about this massive corruption is a significant disappointment. Obviously, this will ultimately affect investor confidence and bring down their level of interest, not to mention that there are now countries having second thoughts about granting us loans.
The President has announced the creation of an independent body to probe anomalies covering the last 10 years, with broad powers such as the authority to freeze or seize the assets of those linked to corruption. It was welcomed by Ambassador Massimo Santoro of the European Union, who expressed his support and stated that the EU will continue to assist the Philippines.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced an additional $250 million (P13.8 billion) in foreign assistance to help the Philippines in its fight against tuberculosis and address the threat of emerging diseases, which is a clear manifestation of the deep alliance between the Philippines and the US.
However, even as we focus on fighting corruption, we must not lose sight of the challenges our country faces beyond our shores. We have only one country, and now, more than ever, Filipinos must unite as we face those who continue to challenge our sovereignty as a nation.
Email: babeseyeview@gmail.com
