President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. strongly criticized government officials and workers who stole money meant for flood control projects. He gave this message during his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasan Complex.
He said that during his inspections after storms like Habagat, Crising, Dante, and Emong, he saw that many flood control projects were poorly made or completely fake.
“Let’s stop pretending,” said the President. “Everyone knows that some people are making money through kickbacks, fake reports, and other dirty tricks.”
“To those who work together to steal public funds and ruin the future of Filipinos — you should be ashamed!” he said.
He added, “Be ashamed for the houses destroyed by floods. Be ashamed for the children who will carry the debt caused by your corruption.”
President Marcos said this won’t happen again. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will now send him a list of flood control projects per region that were started or finished in the past three years.
He also ordered the regional project monitoring committees to examine these lists. They must report projects that were unfinished, canceled, or never existed (ghost projects). These lists will be published and shared with the public for transparency and investigation.
In addition, a performance audit will be done to check how the money was spent.
President Marcos promised that in the coming months, anyone found guilty — including corrupt contractors — will face charges. He wants the public to know the truth and ensure that those responsible are punished.
