President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said he is seriously considering filing economic sabotage charges against individuals found guilty of defrauding the government in flood-control projects.
The President made the remark after inspecting what was supposed to be a reinforced concrete river wall in Purok 4, Barangay Piel, Baliuag, Bulacan. The ₱55.7-million project, awarded to Syms Construction Trading, was scheduled to begin in February, but no structure has been built to date.
“It’s very clear that the project isn’t completed. So immediately, that’s falsification—and that alone is already a very serious violation,” Marcos said, visibly angered by the discovery. He added that for bigger cases, he is “thinking very hard about charging them with economic sabotage.”
The president described the non-existent river wall as a “perfect example of abuse,” noting that reports from the government’s sumbongsapangulo.ph platform have revealed similar concerns from the public.
“Well, more than disappointed, I’m getting very angry,” he admitted, stressing that the failure of such projects deprived communities of essential infrastructure. “If all of these projects had been properly executed and implemented, many of our problems—and those of the people—could have been avoided. It would also have ensured better systems for irrigation, water supply, and even fresh water for households,” he explained.
As of press time, Syms Construction Trading has yet to issue a comment on the matter.
