President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday delivered a sharp condemnation of corruption in flood control projects, calling out the widespread failure of public infrastructure supposedly meant to protect communities from flooding.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Marcos condemned serious irregularities in flood control projects, which contributed to the recent extensive flooding caused by the southwest monsoon and Typhoons “Crising,” “Dante,” and “Emong.”
The President ordered a comprehensive audit and full transparency of flood control projects, as well as legal action against those found to have misused funds and illegally profited from such projects.
“Kitang-kita ko na maraming proyekto para sa flood control ay palpak at gumuho at ’yung iba, guni-guni lamang,” President Marcos said.
Calling out systemic misuse of public funds, President Marcos exposed how public works have been turned into a network of “kickbacks, initiatives, errata, SOP, for the boys,” which are terms referring to corrupt practices.
“Kaya sa mga nakikipagsabwatan upang kunin ang pondo ng bayan at nakawin ang kinabukasan ng ating mga mamamayan, mahiya naman kayo sa inyong kapwa Pilipino!” the President said, receiving a standing ovation from the audience at the House of Representatives.
The Chief Executive appealed for justice on behalf of flood victims and the future generations of Filipinos who will bear the burden of paying debt incurred through corrupt practices.
“Mahiya naman kayo sa mga kabahayan nating naanod o nalubog sa mga pagbaha. Mahiya naman kayo lalo sa mga anak natin na magmamana sa mga utang na ginawa ninyo, na binulsa n’yo lang ang pera,” the President continued, to more applause and cheers.
To prevent further corruption, President Marcos directed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to submit a comprehensive list of all flood control projects in the last three years.
The list will be examined by the regional project monitoring committee that will report “those that have been failures, those that were not finished, and those that are alleged to be ghost projects.”
The list will be published for public scrutiny, the President declared.
“At the same time, there will be an audit and performance review regarding these projects to check and make sure and to know how your money was spent,” the President added.
“Sa mga susunod na buwan, makakasuhan ang lahat ng mga lalabas na may sala mula sa imbestigasyon. Pati na ang mga kasabwat na kontratista sa buong bansa,” President Marcos announced. | PND
