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MANILA, Philippines — Following President Marcos’ order to investigate substandard flood control projects, Senate President Francis Escudero announced yesterday he would file a bill prohibiting relatives of public officials up to the fourth degree of consanguinity from becoming contractors or suppliers of the government.
Citing conflict of interest concerns following corruption allegations surrounding flood control projects, Escudero said government contracts need to be rid of corruption.
“About our applause, who would not applaud? The problem has been there for long,” Escudero said, referring to Marcos’ much-applauded remarks in his State of the Nation Address on irregularities in flood control programs.
“In response, I’m filing a bill seeking to prohibit officials from tapping relatives up to 4th degree of consanguinity as contractors or suppliers for government projects,” Escudero said in Filipino. “It’s clear conflict of interest and should not be allowed.”
He said some lawmakers are involved in such arrangements. “If lawyers can’t practice their profession while in government, so should contractors be barred from being part of government,” he said citing an example.
Escudero said he intends to have his proposal taken up as a priority measure and included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) list. He said his bill is being drafted and may be filed by Tuesday next week.
Amid reports tying him to corruption related to flood control projects, Escudero maintained he had never pocketed public funds.
He also pushed back against insinuations that flood mitigation projects in a senator’s home province automatically indicate personal gain. “That is mere insinuation, part of PR job, PR campaign. It’s not right,” he said.
Recent media reports raised concerns over lump-sum allocations to Bulacan and Sorsogon – the latter being Escudero’s home province – as well as vague project listings with little engineering detail, repeated road segments and uniform budget figures across unrelated infrastructure items.
It suggested that the senator may have used the national budget to build political capital for his rumored Senate presidency bid in the 20th Congress.
Demolition job
But Escudero denied involvement in corruption, particularly in the insertion of P142.7 billion into the 2025 budget to finance infrastructure and flood control projects for his allies. He called the accusation a demolition job.
He called out his critics who accused him of using his position to mangle the budget, saying making “amendments” was part of their job and that calling the exercise “budget insertion” was “malicious.”
“That is an allegation wrought with malice. This is clearly a PR job. I have nothing to hide,” he added.
Escudero said it is Congress’ job to scrutinize the budget and make amendments.
He said what is illegal is having “post-enactment intervention” of discretionary funds in the budget known as “pork barrel,” which was outlawed by the Supreme Court.
He said he was finance committee chair when the Supreme Court struck down the pork barrel system and that he oversaw the crafting of budget line items in the GAA.
He denied wielding his influence to have P142.7-billion budget insertion, the bulk of which allegedly went to his majority leader Joel Villanueva’s turf Bulacan with P12.08 billion, while Escudero’s stronghold Sorsogon got P9.1 billion.
“No single case has ever been filed against me in my 27 years in government. Not only as a member of Congress, not only as a member of the Senate, but also even as a governor of our province where we implemented projects,” the Senate president said.
As to the President’s promise in his SONA to return a mangled national budget that does not align with the executive’s spending plan under the National Expenditure Program (NEP), Escudero said he hoped Executive department officials would not pressure the Senate into augmenting their budget allotment. “The NEP is not perfect.”
Peeved for allegedly being blamed by Escudero for “insertions” in the budget program, the House of Representatives, through spokesperson Princess Abante, said the Senate President should respond to the issues directly instead of shifting blame to the lower chamber.
“Why us? Why are we to blame? The question to Senate President Chiz is why throw the question to us? Why is it that when there are criticisms against him, he raised his eyebrows at the House of Representatives? It might be better to just answer the question,” Abante said.
Abante emphasized that Speaker Martin Romualdez did not interfere in the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the national budget.
List ready
Meanwhile, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan said he welcomes the order of the President for the department to make a list of all flood control projects undertaken by the government so it can weed out ghost projects.
“Our monitoring of all projects is computerized so it’s just a matter of taking it out from each district or region, which category, cost, status. They are readily available for the President,” Bonoan said over dzMM Teleradyo.
“When we assumed office, we immediately realized the necessity of addressing flood control in the country. We did not inherit a bed of roses,” he said.
One challenge facing the DPWH is the heavy silting in rivers, which contributes greatly to the flooding problem, he said.
The Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) said preparations are now being made for the protocol to be used for the review of flood control projects in line with President Marcos’ directive.
“While waiting for that list, our group, the Regional Development Group, is outlining the protocol of review so that it will be objective,” DEPDev Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said in a post-SONA discussion.
“We’re also working with engineers on what exactly we have to look at. And of course, there is a need to conduct site visits, to really go to the projects. That’s the only way that you can verify,” she said.
Edillon said the Regional Project Monitoring Committee under the Regional Development Council (RDC) monitors projects being implemented. It is composed of regional agencies and private sector representatives.
The RDC is the highest policy-making body in the region and serves as the counterpart of the Economy and Development Council, formerly National Economic and Development Authority Board, at the subnational level.
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Enunina Mangio said Marcos’ condemnation of corruption “should make a big dent on those who profit from bogus projects.”
For his part, Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. president Victor Lim said Marcos’ condemnation of excessive political corruption resonates with the business community.
“The FFCCCII offers its vigorous and unequivocal support for President Marcos’ specific commitment to combat the plague of corruption, particularly the scourge of ghost projects. These phantom initiatives represent a direct and unconscionable theft from the Filipino people,” Lim said.
“Only through such fundamental systemic reforms can we restore public trust, ensure efficient use of public funds, unlock sustainable economic growth and genuinely uplift the lives of all Filipinos,” he said. — Louella Desiderio, Rainier Allan Ronda, Jose Rodel Clapano, Marc Jayson Cayabyab
