By Wilnard Bacelonia
MANILA – Senator Panfilo Lacson on Thursday said government agencies should stamp out collusion behind substandard and “ghost” flood control projects, warning that corruption has turned parts of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) into a “playground.”
“Isolated case here, isolated case there, isolated cases everywhere. Maybe we should start looking for an isolated case of a corrupt-free, properly implemented flood control project,” Lacson said in a post on X.
During interpellations on his privilege speech last week, Lacson cited reports that corruption in flood control projects extended beyond DPWH to the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), which is attached to the Department of Trade and Industry.
He said PCAB should coordinate with the Securities and Exchange Commission to block blacklisted firms from re-registering under new corporate names.
“So, close coordination and cooperation among different agencies of government is best. The agencies should not collude. Instead, they should provide check and balance,” he said.
Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros earlier raised questions on how select contractors cornered projects and escaped blacklisting, while Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III flagged the renewal of PCAB licenses for contractors linked to anomalous projects, including one inspected by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Bulacan.
Lacson warned that PCAB’s licensing practices, including alleged “accreditation for sale” need to be addressed, saying some contractors claimed they were asked to pay PHP2 million to process requirements.
He also pushed to revisit Republic Act 4566, which created PCAB, to address gaps in contractor blacklisting and licensing.
He agreed with Sotto’s suggestion to lengthen the one-year blacklisting period to up to five years, and to cap the number of projects awarded to a single contractor.
Lacson added some corporations appeared to be using interlocking directors to bid for multiple contracts.
“This is a practice committed by unscrupulous corporations that deal with government, particularly flood control projects,” he said.
The senator said these issues should be tackled in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s upcoming hearings, with the DPWH, PCAB, and other implementing agencies.
Unity vs. corruption
Meanwhile, Senator Francis Pangilinan on Thursday threw his support behind the creation of an Independent People’s Commission (IPC) to investigate the trillion-peso flood control ghost projects, saying the move shows unity among lawmakers and the executive branch in fighting corruption.
Pangilinan is supporting Senate Bill 1215 filed by Senator Vicente Sotto III, saying the commission must be led by respected reform advocates, as well as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order for lifestyle checks on government officials, noting that both initiatives complement each other in ensuring accountability.
“We support the creation by law of an independent investigative body that will look into these trillion-pesos worth of corrupt flood control projects,” Pangilinan said in a radio interview. (PNA)
