News
Flood control kickbacks, flawed Bulacan projects draw PBBM’s ire
By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Philippine News Agency
FILE: OUTRAGED. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reads documents about a river wall project that was supposed to be constructed in Baliwag City, Bulacan on Aug. 20, 2025. Malacañang said Wednesday (Sept.
24) the President was outraged by reports of alleged kickbacks in government infrastructure projects and substandard flood control structures in Bulacan province. (PCO photo)
MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was outraged by reports of alleged kickbacks in government infrastructure projects and substandard flood control structures in Bulacan province, Malacañang said Wednesday.
In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Marcos does not condone any form of abuse by erring government workers or their conspirators, including the misuse of public funds.
“Galit po ang Pangulo sa ganyan. Kaya nga po pinasimulan niya ang pag-iimbestiga na ito at sa ngayon po nakikita natin kung gaano ba nagiging mapang-abuso ang karaniwang mamamayan at kasabwat ang ilang mga public officials (The President is angry about that. That’s why he initiated the investigation and now we can see how abusive some ordinary citizens can be, especially with the involvement of some public officials),” Castro said.
This came after former Public Works Bulacan First District assistant engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez, at the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Tuesday, admitted that all infrastructure projects were substandard since 2019 due to systemic corruption.
Castro said the admission about the substandard flood control projects is “really saddening,” lamenting that the ones benefiting “are only those who are getting richer.”
“Hindi lamang ang Pangulo ang malulungkot. Lahat po tayong taong bayan ay malulungkot sa nakita at nasabing ganyan na itong mga proyektong ito para sa kalahatan, para sa ikagiginhawa ng mga kababayan natin (It’s not only the President who will be saddened. All of us, the people, will be saddened to see and hear such things about these projects that were meant for everyone’s benefit, for the improvement of our fellow citizens’ lives),” she said.
During the Senate hearing on Tuesday, controversial contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya also claimed that the kickbacks in government projects have risen to 25 to 30 percent under the Marcos administration, allegedly lower than the 15 percent under the Duterte administration and 10 percent under the Aquino administration.
Castro slammed the government officials who are demanding a 30-percent cut from the infrastructure projects under Marcos’ watch, describing them as “just overly greedy and never satisfied.”
“Ito po ang ayaw ng Pangulo. Ang budget na nilalaan ay para sa bayan at sa taumbayan.
Kaya nga po nagpasimula ang Pangulo sa pag-iimbestiga ng ganitong mga klaseng korapsyon (This is not what the President wants. The budget allocated is for the country and the people. That’s why the President initiated this investigation into these kinds of corruption),” she said.
“Mas maganda rin sana kung noon pa, noong panahon na hindi pa ang Pangulo ang nakaupo, napuna na rin po sana nila ang mga ghost project na iyan dahil nakakahiya po talaga (It would have been better if even before, during the time when the current President was not yet in office, they had already noticed those ghost projects because it is truly shameful),” Castro added.
