The ongoing House probe into questionable flood control projects has uncovered that the roots of the alleged scam stretch back to the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua, who chairs the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said red flags were already raised as early as 2017.
“Noong 2017 pa lang, nagsimula nang maglabasan ang mga babala. Sunod-sunod ang mga ulat ng Commission on Audit (COA) mula 2017 hanggang 2020 na naglantad ng ilang libong proyektong delayed, depektibo, o tuluyang hindi naipatupad – na nagkakahalaga ng daan-daang bilyong piso,” Chua stressed.
He added that a 2018 Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report had already linked major contractors to unfinished or delayed projects. By 2019, even the House Appropriations Committee flagged multiple flood control projects vulnerable to budget “insertions” worth billions of pesos, which opened doors for misuse of public funds.
Chua further pointed out that Duterte himself acknowledged the existence of ghost projects in 2020.
“Sa madaling salita, hindi bago ang problemang ito. Ito ay problemang namana, naipon at napabayaan – at ngayon, lumulutang na parang sugat na matagal nang hindi ginagamot,” he said.
The House Infrastructure Committee began its hearings Tuesday, bringing together the committees on Good Government, Public Accounts, and Public Works. Chua clarified that the inquiry aims not to pit agencies against one another but to identify loopholes where corruption thrives.
“Nandito tayo upang tukuyin kung saan nakakalusot ang katiwalian, paano ito nagiging posible, at sino ang nakikinabang,” he said, underscoring the urgency of reforms.
The lawmaker stressed that good governance is now a matter of survival for Filipinos.
“Siguro po ay sasang-ayon ang lahat na uhaw tayo sa good governance sa kasalukuyang konteksto – dahil sa bawat pagdalaw ng bagyo ay lumulubog tayo,” Chua added.
