File Photo: A road in Barangay Talisay, Bato, Catanduanes is submerged due to continuous rains on Sunday (Jan. 12, 2025). As of Tuesday, (Jan. 14), more than 46,000 individuals have evacuated due to the threat of flood and rain-induced landslides. (Photo courtesy of LDRRMO-Bato)
By Diego Morra
Without any prodding from Malacanang, farmers belonging to the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Bicol (KMB), the regional chapter of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) uncovered what it said were “rampant corruption and criminal negligence” in the implementation of flood control projects in Bicol after it documented the inferior and substandard construction of projects in Libon, Albay on August 16 and 17.
KMB said a total of 853 flood control projects were supposedly completed in Bicol since 2022, including 273 in Albay, 252 in Camarines Sur and 125 in Sorsogon. Yet these provinces were devastated by floods as typhoons battered Bicol last year, destroying the crops and livestock of farmers. A check on the purported completed projects showed that many of them were chopped up, or divided into various phases and never completed. KMB confirmed glaring irregularities, as in the case of the San Agustin Flood Control Dike in Libon, Albay, which was listed as comprised of four separate projects “completed” between 2022 and 2024. Yet, recurrent floods have swamped the areas covered by the dike.
Worse, KMB reported, there were repeat and overlapping projects that cost taxpayers P200 million each, only to be proven as “ghost” projects or worse, constructed with inferior materials inasmuch as grafters, from politicians, public works bureaucrats to the pencil pushers of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Commission on Audit (COA) get their own share of the budget. It has been estimated that only 40% of the original appropriation is spent for actual construction. Without the DBM releasing funds and COA attesting to their efficient use, there would be no opportunity for contractors to collect and reimburse the “commission” paid to congressmen and senators and other scam participants. Years ago, a DBM official confirmed that lawmakers practically kneel to get their notice of cash allocation (NCA), including a notorious congressman who had been convicted of graft, a conviction which happens few and far between.
KMB’s investigation corroborates a recent Senate expose that pointed to the Co political dynasty controlling the Ako Bicol partylist as the biggest player in the flood control business in the region. The Co family’s companies, including Sunwest Inc. of Rep. Elizaldy Co, Hi-Tone of Christopher Co, and FS Co Builders and Supply of Albay Vice Governor Farida Co, cornered many of the largest contracts. The same companies reportedly operate massive quarrying projects at the foot of Mayon Volcano that have worsened flooding in nearby towns like Guinobatan. Cornering public works projects has become a key plank in the operations of political dynasties in Bicol as lawmakers are not expected to approve any legislative that would ban themselves from participating and winning contracts. There should be an outright ban on the award of projects for companies that are owned and operated by lawmakers, their relatives, nominees and assigns.
In Sorsogon, KMB found that Centerways Construction, a major recipient of flood-control contracts, bagged 52 out of 125 flood control projects in the province costing P5.6-billion. Senate President Chiz “Forthwith” Escudero earlier admitted that Centerways Construction president Lawrence Lubiano donated P30-million to his campaign in 2022 despite a ban on politicians accepting funds from public works contractors. Still, no one has initiated any investigation into Escudero’s willy-nilly admission that could technically cost him his Senate seat. In the case of Elizaldy Co, he claimed to have divested himself of his equity at Sunwest but still, it is his family that controls the company and this company bagged the biggest flood control projects in the region.
“These so-called flood control projects are nothing more than a racket to amass wealth for political dynasties and their favored contractors, while Bicolanos are left to drown in floods and debt,” explained KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos. “The initial revelations of KMB show how deeply entrenched corruption is in public works, where disaster funds are treated as cash cows. Every fraudulent project means more lives lost, more communities submerged, and more farmers and poor families pushed into crisis all-year round.” KMP called on all Bicolanos to demand further investigation and hold those responsible for corruption-ridden flood control projects accountable. “The people must demand justice. Billions wasted on fake and failed flood control projects must be reclaimed and re-channeled to genuine disaster preparedness and rural development and not to the pockets of the contractor-politicians and their political dynasties,” Ramos said.
Interestingly, Sunwest and Hi-Tone of the Co political dynasty in Bicol belong to the top 15 contractors that cornered P100 billion, about 20% of the budget for flood control, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Apart from Sunwest and Hi-Tone, the others are: Legacy Construction Corp.; Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor & Development Corp.; St. Timothy Construction Corp.; QM Builders; EGB Construction Corp.; Topnotch Catalyst Builders, Inc.; Centerways Construction and Development, Inc.; Triple 8 Construction & Supply, Inc.; Royal Crown Monarch Construction & Supplies Corp.; Wawao Builders; MG Samidan Construction; L.R. Tiqui Builders, Inc., and; Road Edge Trading & Development Services.
Five of these companies — Legacy Construction Corp., Alpha & Omega, St. Timothy, EGB Construction, and Road Edge Trading — had projects in almost all regions. In one unguarded moment, Sarah Discaya, the defeated Pasig City mayoral candidate, admitted on TV that her fortunes changed when she started doing business with the DPWH, which explains why she has a fleet of 40 vehicles that include a Rolls Royce, Bentley, Maserati, Ferrari, Mercedes Benzes, Ford Excursion, Toyotas, Lexus, Defenders, Land Rovers and others. Haled to attend a Senate hearing, Discaya did not offer and said the invitation clashed with her schedule. Others begged off, perhaps seeking counsel from their lawyers on what to do now that the returning senators are exposing the grand larceny attending bogus flood control projects. The inquiry might also cover the alleged P6.6-billion projects won by Alfrego Corp. and CLTG Construction Corp., both of which are owned by the family of Sen. Christopher Lawrence T. Go.
