When a barrage of typhoons battered the Philippines in July, Filipinos braced for the inevitable flooding. What they did not expect however, was that the aftermath of these calamities would expose another deluge that impacts their lives – a flood of corruption in the very infrastructure meant to protect them.
As President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. gave his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in late July, he vowed to investigate alleged corruption in flood control infrastructure paid for by the people’s taxes. The chief executive scored the ineptitude of these infrastructure projects in preventing, or even mitigating, flooding when typhoons enter the country.
A closer examination of government flood control projects over the past three years revealed that just 15 construction firms cornered more than ₱100 billion worth of contracts – representing 20 per cent of the total value spent on flood control infrastructure during that period.
The fact that a small cabal of private corporations managed to secure the lion’s share of the funding for flood control projects justifiably raises suspicions. After all, the bidding process which determines the winning contractor is designed to be highly competitive to ensure Filipinos get the best value for their buck.
For a small group to emerge as the winning bidder a disproportionate number of times seems less a matter of luck than of something far more questionable. Weeks after the President’s SONA, that became less of a conjecture and more of a starting point for an investigation that would expose the true extent of people’s greed in the Philippines.
Last week, a river wall project in Baliuag, Bulacan already marked ‘complete’ by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was found to have never even broken ground to begin with. The ₱55 million project was meant to prevent the overflow of the local river during heavy downpours, but not so much as a single concrete slab had been laid.
Worse, receipts from the DPWH showed that the project was fully paid.
President Marcos Jr. himself divulged that several other projects under the DPWH were still incomplete despite having finished contracts. One flood mitigation structure in Calumpit, Bulacan included a desiltation component, but upon inspection the river had an island growing in the middle with overgrown grass – proving that the water body had not been dredged in a long time.
St. Timothy Construction, the firm responsible for the river protection structure project, ranked third among contractors which earned the most from flood control projects under the DPWH in the last three years. The Pasig City-based firm is owned by Sarah Discaya, who unsuccessfully challenged Mayor Vico Sotto in the 2025 election, and her family.
The incumbent mayor confirmed that fact himself, in a Facebook post that has since gone viral. Sotto also pointed out that the construction firm that raked in the second most number of flood control projects, Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor Corp., is also owned by the Discaya family.
Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas also echoed her criticism of public infrastructure works undertaken by Discaya-owned firms in her city. She named four flood control projects amounting to ₱575 million which are “are either non-functional, have caused flooding, or are, in some cases, practically non-existent.”
If a comprehensive investigation on anomalous flood control projects is to be undertaken, the Discaya family and their firms must be at the center of scrutiny. They should be held accountable if any wrongdoing was proven and, just as important, be made to pinpoint any politician or DPWH official who may have colluded with them.
Much like “it takes two to tango”, it also takes more than an opportunistic construction company to pilfer the coffers of Filipino taxpayers. Elected politicians and public servants in various government departments are undoubtedly involved in any corruption, and the scale of President Marcos Jr.’s exposé may be even grander than anticipated.
Such realization only makes the situation even more depressing: wealthy and powerful individuals connived to rob the Filipino masses of quality public infrastructure that would make their lives a bit more bearable. Each time floodwaters inundate towns and cities, those who have to wade through the deluge to earn their living risk injury or become susceptible to catching water-borne diseases like leptospirosis.
As a result of their greed, ordinary Filipinos suffer; their already challenging lives become even more testing and in many cases, even lethal. Before the DPWH or the government at large embark on any further “flood control” projects, perhaps it is important that they practice greed control first.