“It is not enough to blame contractors and low-ranking officials. If Marcos Jr. were serious about fighting corruption, he should go after the big fish, including himself.”

MANILA – The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) accused Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of being directly accountable for systemic corruption in flood control projects, stressing that his administration continues to plunder public funds despite repeated exposés and investigations in Congress.

“This is not just a quarrel among crocodiles and the greedy. With due respect to real crocodiles, what we see here is severe bureaucratic capitalism and the rottenness of the prevailing system, and Marcos Jr. is the one leading this system,” said Danilo Ramos, KMP chairperson. “Marcos Jr. himself drafts and pushes the national budget, including the trillions allocated to flood control and infrastructure projects. He must be held accountable for this massive plunder.”

The issue of anomalous flood control projects hogged the headlines in August 2025 after Marcos Jr. disclosed findings from an initial review that P100 billion ($1.8 billion) out of the P545 billion ($9.81 billion) spent on flood control since July 2022 went to only 15 contractors.

According to KMP, nearly P1 trillion ($18 billion) was allocated to flood control projects from 2023 to 2025 under the General Appropriations Act. Despite ongoing Senate hearings and exposés on ghost projects, kickbacks, and substandard construction, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) still earmarked P275 billion ($4.95 billion) for flood control programs in the proposed 2026 budget.

Flood control allocations under Marcos Jr. fluctuated through the years. In 2023, P185 billion ($3.33 billion) was allotted to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Flood Management Program. This rose in 2024 to P215.6 billion ($3.88 billion) for DPWH projects, plus P10 billion ($180 million) for Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and foreign-assisted programs, bringing the total to P225.7 billion ($4.06 billion). The figure jumped significantly in 2025 to P346.6 billion ($6.24 billion) although Marcos Jr. vetoed P16.7 billion ($301 million) as “redundant.” For 2026, the proposed budget dropped to P274.9 billion ($4.95 billion), with P272.3 billion ($4.90 billion) for DPWH and P2.6 billion ($47 million) for MMDA, reflecting a P71.7 billion ($1.29 billion) or 26 percent cut from the previous year.

Marcos Jr.’s audit also exposed ties between major contractors and Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto’s political rivals, the Discaya family. Firms linked to the Discayas like Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor and St. Timothy Construction secured nearly P30 billion ($540 million) in projects nationwide despite past blacklisting, tax violations, and fraud allegations. Sotto accused these companies of running through “six stages of corruption” and vowed to pursue legal action to collect millions in unpaid business taxes that could instead fund city infrastructure without cutting social services. The Discayas dismissed the cases as politically motivated. The audit further revealed that only 15 contractors cornered about P109 billion ($1.96 billion), or one-fifth of the flood-control budget in his first three years, fueling criticism that his administration’s contracting practices enable monopolies even as flooding woes persist.

Meanwhile, the DPWH defended the projects as urgent interventions to mitigate flooding in Metro Manila and Central Luzon but admitted that poor waste management worsens the problem.

“The findings of the Blue Ribbon Committee are nothing new. The public has long been aware of how deeply corrupt the DPWH is,” Ramos said. “Flood control and farm-to-market road projects have long been hotbeds of corruption and wrongdoing for crooked officials and contractors. The hard-earned taxes of the people are being stolen by the greedy.”

KMP said that despite damning revelations, the Marcos Jr. administration refused to dismantle the system and continues to channel hundreds of billions into flood control funding. “Even with the Senate’s investigations, Marcos refuses to reform because his regime profits from it,” Ramos said. The group said that the DPWH is directly under the Office of the President, adding that the resignation of former Secretary Manny Bonoan and his replacement by Vince Dizon was merely cosmetic.

“Whoever Marcos installs as secretary will serve at his pleasure. Changing faces at the top will not stop the systemic looting that continues below,” Ramos said.

The farmers’ group also denounced congressional insertions in the DPWH budget as a continuation of pork barrel politics, citing Senate reports that lawmakers receive project allocations in exchange for loyalty to Malacañang, in collusion with contractors and agency officials.

“This is systemic plunder,” Ramos said. “It is not enough to blame contractors and low-ranking officials. If Marcos Jr. were serious about fighting corruption, he should go after the big fish, including himself. Instead, his so-called anti-corruption campaign is a PR stunt to tighten his grip on the national budget.”

KMP urged the public to demand accountability from Marcos Jr., push for the removal of anomalous flood control projects and confidential and intelligence funds, and stage mass actions against systemic corruption. (AMU, DAA)