There should be a genuine public audit, full disclosure of documents, and cases filed against corrupt officials, including those in Malacañang and Congress.

MANILA – The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) slammed Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his statements on corruption in flood control projects, saying that he himself should be held accountable for alleged anomalies under his administration.

KMP stressed that Marcos Jr.’s promises have been repetitive and hollow, comparing his presented timeline to an “MCU or Marcos Corruption Universe.”

“Marcos’ statements are not impressive. All show, no justice. No one has been jailed, no stolen funds have been returned, and communities remain submerged,” said Danilo Ramos, chairperson of KMP.

Nearly P1 trillion in unprogrammed appropriations for flood control projects from 2023 to 2025 has drawn scrutiny for alleged irregularities, with selected lawmakers and watchdog groups stressing that there could be bogus or overpriced projects. The Ombudsman has started investigations into substandard or fictitious flood control works in the Visayas, particularly in Cebu, following reports that many communities remained inundated with floods despite massive fund allocations. On the government’s side, Marcos ordered the recovery of stolen public funds linked to fraudulent Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) flood control projects and announced that unused portions of the 2025 flood control budget would be reallocated to health and education programs.

According to the KMP, Marcos is using the corruption issue to cover up his administration’s failures and alleged involvement in anomalies. Ramos said, “Only the contractors were named, but not the congressmen and officials involved in the anomalous projects. Marcos’ cronies and close allies still hold the biggest infrastructure contracts.”

KMP also described government programs such as the Sumbong sa Pangulo website, Transparency Portal, and Independent Commission for Infrastructure as superficial efforts meant to improve the administration’s image. “There should be a genuine public audit, full disclosure of documents, and cases filed against corrupt officials, including those in Malacañang and Congress,” Ramos said.

Launched in August 2025, the Sumbong sa Pangulo website allows citizens to report non-operational or anomalous flood control projects. It has received over 16,000 complaints, all forwarded to the newly formed Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), created under Executive Order No. 94 to investigate corruption and fund misuse in infrastructure projects over the past decade. Critics, however, said that the platform lists fewer than half of all flood control projects since 2018, raising concerns about incomplete transparency.

The group added that the promise of having someone jailed before Christmas is meaningless if the investigation is merely for show. Ramos said, “Marcos is using the staged anti-corruption campaign to clean his image. But in the end, only low-ranking officials are punished while he and his allies remain safe.”

KMP said that Marcos Jr approved P9.2 billion in Unprogrammed Appropriation (UA) funds for flood control projects in the Visayas, with the largest allocation in Cebu, yet these failed to prevent severe flooding and the deaths of hundreds during recent storms.

KMP and other watchdogs criticized the lack of transparency in UA-funded flood control projects, noting that full public disclosure of contracts from 2023 to 2025 has not been provided, while an estimated P118.5 billion may have been lost to corruption during this period. Civil society groups and KMP’s local chapters documented substandard constructions in regions like Visayas, Cebu, and Bicol, with many projects marked “completed” on platforms such as Sumbong sa Pangulo, yet communities continue to suffer severe flooding.

The group stressed that genuine reforms against corruption require dismantling systems that favor cronies, capitalists, and political dynasties. “The government will never be clean if power and resources remain concentrated in the hands of a few families. What is needed is real accountability, the return of public funds to the people, and genuine service to farmers,” Ramos said. (DAA)