ACT-Teachers partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio has not only uncovered the questionable 60 questionable flood control projects (FCPs) for the Davao and Matina Rivers worth P4.35-billion but also the nearly P1-billion FCPs in the 2025 budget, thus trumping the claim of Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte that Tinio and the Makabayan Bloc are waging an anti-Duterte campaign.
The younger Duterte lashed out at Tinio and the Makabayan Bloc for the expose, as well as the congressional inquiry into the P350-million dolomite beach in Manila undertaken by Duterte zealots purportedly to improve the mental health of Filipinos by dumping dolomite from Cebu visitors. It is another unnecessary project that never improved the health of Manila Bay but reportedly lined the pockets of Duterte officials and their relatives.
Had Rep. Polong Duterte been religiously attending the sessions at the House of Representatives, he would have heard the criticisms of the Marcos regime by Tinio and the Makabayan Bloc. Like a truant (inasmuch as Congress was supposed to be his school), Polong has been known for his absences. Sister Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio was likewise tagged as a lakwatsa queen, always out of the office, but present in disbursing tons and tons of cash, her people capable of multilocality by personally disgorging cash in various places nationwide at the same time. Of course, the Dutertes, from their god-figure Rodrigo down to the littlest of offspring have roundly blamed the Makabayan Bloc of former ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel for their troubles since 2023.
Indeed, in the pursuit of their tasks as lawmakers, the Makabayan Bloc in the last Congress exposed the questionable use of Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio’s confidential funds, including the P125 million that was spent in just 11 days in December 2022. They deserve medals, not spanking by the most guilty. Referring to Polong’s blast and his impudicity, Tinio said Duterte appears to be too lazy to know the record of the Makabayan Bloc. He taunted Duterte for not taking to Google to know what his nemesis is doing. Pity the indolent as logic and common sense have escaped them. “Well, again, squid tactics ito. Kapagka mga Duterte na ang sinisingil, pamumulitika raw,” he said. “Siguro harapin ng derecho at sagutin yung mga tanong whether tungkol sa confidential funds yan, tungkol sa dolomite beach o maging sa flood control budget na P51 billion and other infrastructure projects na binuhos sa Davao City nung panahon ng previous administration,” Tinio added.
In the last Congress, Sara also demanded that former Act Teachers Rep. France Castro be disqualified from sitting on a panel investigating her since Castro was “convicted” of child abuse by a Davao court that never looked into the evidence for the defense. The decision was universally panned for absolving the children’s tormentors and convicting their saviors. That is Duterte law—dismissing the facts, manufacturing evidence and relying on polluted testimony. In the current Congress, Sara also asked Kabataan Rep. Renee Co, a lawyer, if she were a relative of now resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co. The Co family of Leveriza, Manila is not related to the Co family of Bicol. Perhaps, they are kin to the revolutionary Leoncio Co, and this surely is a badge of honor.
In September 2025, Rep. Tinio presented glaring examples of budget manipulation, including a flood control structure in Barangay Mangorokoro, Ajuy, Iloilo that appeared three times in the GAA 2025 with different allocations—P79 million under the Flood Management Program (FMP) and two separate P150 million entries under Sustainable Infrastructure Projects Alleviating Gaps (SIPAG) costing P379 million for a single project. So, Makabayan Bloc is not exempting the current regime from its meticulous assessment of the budget. The same goes for Polong, whose last scrap was with his favorite entertainment manager in Davao City who was manhandled in the wee, small hours of the morning.
As to Tinio’s research, he found out that in just three years—from 2019 to 2022 to be exact, a total of P6.06 billion was poured into 121 FCP projects, with 80 contracts in the Polong Duterte’s district costing P4.35 billion found to be riddled with red flags. “Our analysis reveals a pattern of irregularities that demands explanation and accountability. There are indicators that point to ‘ghost’ projects, double funding, location changes, gross overpricing, and contracts awarded without clear specifications.” Of the 121 FCPs, 79 projects valued at P4.07 billion were not part of the National Expenditure Program (NEP) that Malacañang submitted to Congress.
Two contracts worth P135.14 million were funded in 2019 and funded anew the following year. Two contracts worth P115.09 million were also given away to two contractors working in just one project site. Wonder of wonders, nine other contracts worth P484.04 million were implemented in a same location not specified in the General Appropriations Act (GAA.) Sixty-two contracts worth P3.44 billion do not have details such as the exact location, thus hindering verification of their implementation. A total of 10 projects worth P622.57 million that mysteriously were not included in the national budget were also completed.
