Messy and ugly

By Artchil B. Fernandez

The fallout of the ghost and substandard flood control projects scam continues to rock the political establishment and the nation. “The sh*t hits the fan” with everyone now running for cover. Not everyone, however, ducked safely. Things are getting messy and ugly. The flood control projects scandal is reshaping the political landscape.

First to get hit by sh*t is controversial Sen. Chiz Escudero. His sins against the nation were piling up, and the flood control scandal is the “final straw that broke the camel’s back.” A sudden coup in the Senate ousted Escudero from the Senate presidency last week. The coup was swift and rapid, catching Escudero and allies by surprise. They only learned about the change of leadership a few hours before its execution.

Fifteen senators signed a resolution dethroning Escudero and installing Sen. Tito Sotto as the new leader of the upper chamber. The transition to the new leadership was smooth after Escudero offered no resistance upon realizing he didn’t have the numbers.

When the flood control projects scandal broke out, Escudero’s name was immediately linked to it. One of the top contractors of flood control projects, Lawrence Lubiano, owner of Centerways Construction and Development Inc., admitted during a House hearing that he personally contributed PHP 30 million to the campaign of Escudero in the 2022 senatorial elections. Between 2022 and 2025, Centerways Construction secured more than 80 flood control projects worth over PHP 5.1 billion. The company is among the top 15 contractors named by President Bongbong Marcos (BBM) who cornered flood control projects in the country. It ranked seventh in BBM’s list.

Senators identified with the Duterte bloc and supporters of Escudero are also under close scrutiny for their ties with contractors like Escudero. Sen. Joel Villanueva reportedly received a PHP 20 million campaign contribution from New San Jose Builders Inc. (NSJBI). The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) identified NSJBI as among those with active government projects in 2022.

Another rabid Duterte supporter, Sen. Bong Go, has ties with construction companies with government projects. His father owns CLTG Builders, the initials standing for the full name of Bong Go. CLTG Builders has joint projects with St. Gerrard Construction, owned by the Discaya couple. In 2017, both companies won five infrastructure projects in the Davao region worth over PHP 816 million.

The change in Senate leadership had an immediate impact on the investigation of the upper chamber into the flood control projects. Sen. Marcoleta, chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee probing the issue, was replaced by Sen. Ping Lacson. Under Marcoleta, the investigation was a cover-up, granting protection to the Discayas who spoke on projects covering 2022 to 2025 only. The couple was even recommended as state witnesses for refusing to talk about the more than 13,000 flood control projects under the Duterte administration. Despite the Discayas’ admission that they started contracting flood control projects with the DPWH from 2016 onwards, Marcoleta ignored the facts.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was also implicated in the flood control projects after former DPWH district engineer Brice Hernandez testified in the House that the Duterte ally downloaded PHP 355 million for flood projects in Bulacan. Hernandez also named Bulacan Sen. Joel Villanueva as another legislator who downloaded flood control project funds in the province. The Duterte bloc senators are no longer safe from the scandal.

Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairperson Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson confirmed Hernandez’s assertion. Lacson said there is indeed a PHP 355 million insertion in the 2025 budget for flood control projects in Bulacan. So far, there are seven identified projects awarded from the PHP 355 million Lacson uncovered.

The flood control projects mess this week claimed another casualty — Speaker Martin Romualdez. The House is the epicenter of the controversy, when the Discaya couple named several lawmakers who received cuts and kickbacks from either substandard or non-existent flood control projects. The Discaya couple mentioned Romualdez and Rep. Elizaldy Co as among those who received commissions from the flood control projects.

Speaker Romualdez tendered his resignation this week as leader of the House and was replaced by Isabela lawmaker Faustino Dy III as the new leader of the lower chamber. Romualdez claimed he is stepping down to bring back public trust in the House. He framed his resignation as a sacrifice to save the institution.

Should Filipinos, angry at the extent and breadth of the flood control projects corruption, be satisfied with the changes of leadership in both chambers of Congress? Has justice been done with the ouster of Escudero and the resignation of Romualdez?

The fight for justice and ending corruption has only started with the changes of leadership in both houses of Congress. Those involved in the flood control projects scandal — from DPWH officials to contractors, to congressmen/women, senators, and even local government officials — must be prosecuted and made accountable for their high crimes. For so long, corruption not only persisted but has worsened, since no high-ranking officials were ever prosecuted and jailed for massive theft of the people’s money. Only by punishing those at the top can the anger and fury of Filipinos be quenched.

Filipinos, however, must be wary of political blocs out to hijack the fight against corruption to serve partisan political ends. House Duterte is trying to capitalize on the issue not only to shield the Duterte administration but to weaponize it against House Marcos. The Marcoses, on the other hand, are using the flood control projects scandal to pin down the Dutertes for corruption. The public must not be drawn into the partisan tug-of-war between the two camps. Both the Dutertes and the Marcoses — and their allies — are involved in the flood control projects scam. Politicians from both camps have blood on their hands.