Lacson: More Than P79B Likely Lost to Ghost Flood Control Projects Alone

More than P79 billion has likely been lost to ghost flood control projects dating back to 2016, not counting substandard ones, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Wednesday.

Lacson said this was based on an updated report submitted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which he chairs.

“The DPWH submitted to the Blue Ribbon Committee an updated report. Combined with the new data from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police inspection teams, it appears the number of ghost projects was 494 out of some 13,000 projects,” he said.

He added P79 billion is a huge amount, considering that the Anti-Money Laundering Council managed to have frozen almost P12 billion worth of assets linked to the corruption behind the anomalous flood control projects.

In Filipino: Lacson: Higit P79B Malamang na Nawawala Dahil sa Ghost Flood Control Projects Pa Lamang

Not even the amount restituted by former DPWH district engineer Henry Alcantara – P110 million last month with a potential P200 million more in the coming weeks – can make up for the P79 billion, he said.

“We have not yet started counting our losses to substandard projects,” he said in an interview earlier Wednesday on DZBB radio.

He noted this renders minuscule the number of projects uncovered and tackled so far by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee which he chairs. Lacson had also detailed the corruption behind substandard and ghost flood control projects in privilege speeches last August and September.

Lacson urged the Ombudsman to deputize civil society organizations and the academe to help track down more ghost flood control projects, which he said are widespread – and would likely increase the amount lost to ghost projects.

The AMLC must also work harder to freeze the “web of accounts” of personalities linked to the corruption behind substandard and ghost flood control projects, he added.

Meanwhile, Lacson said the Blue Ribbon Committee remains ready to help relevant agencies like the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, Department of Justice and Office of the Ombudsman in pursuing charges against those involved, if it gets new information.

“If new information is brought before the Committee, hopefully we can help the ICI, Ombudsman and DOJ,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lacson said the Senate has started undoing some of the practices related to the anomalous flood control projects with its efforts to ensure transparency in crafting the budget.

He said the measures, including livestreaming the period of amendments and making public all senators’ individual amendments, should block allocables, leadership funds, and other forms of pork barrel in the 2026 budget.

“There will be no room for allocables because we made the process transparent. If you watched our livestream Tuesday, we introduced individual amendments on the floor, unlike in the past when lawmakers just wrote their amendments on paper and passed it to the finance committee chairman,” he said.

“We started this in the Senate yesterday. All individual amendments were introduced personally or read by Senate Finance Committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian. Sen. Gatchalian read the individual amendments of 11 senators. He will now study which amendments to accept and which to reject,” he added.

Earlier, Lacson scored allocables as the new pork barrel, after scrutinizing documents related to the 2025 budget, which he described as “corrupt to the core.”

He said allocables, which allow items to be funded before they are identified by lawmakers, are in the National Expenditure Program – the proposed budget prepared by the Executive Department before it is submitted to Congress.

Also, Lacson said the Senate and House of Representatives have agreed to simplify the bicameral conference committee proceedings, to tackle only the disagreeing provisions of the Senate and House versions of the budget bill – and not any “alien” provision inserted into either version.

On the other hand, he said Gatchalian will have the amendments and related details posted on the Senate website’s transparency portal.

“This will be simpler and more transparent and that is our intention. In the bicam, we will ensure transparency, all the way to the bill being enrolled,” he said.

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Lacson: Higit P79B Malamang na Nawawala Dahil sa Ghost Flood Control Projects Pa Lamang

Higit P79 bilyon ang malamang na nawala dahil sa mga ghost o guniguning flood control projects mula pa noong 2016 — at hindi pa kasama rito ang mga palpak o substandard na proyekto, ayon kay Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson nitong Miyerkules.

Ayon kay Lacson, ito ay batay sa updated report na isinumite ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) sa Senate Blue Ribbon Committee na pinamumunuan niya.

“The DPWH submitted to the Blue Ribbon Committee an updated report. Combined with the new data from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police inspection teams, it appears the number of ghost projects was 494 out of some 13,000 projects,” aniya.

Gayunman, binigyang-diin ni Lacson na ang P79 bilyon ay isang napakalaking halaga, lalo na kung ikukumpara sa halos P12 bilyong assets pa lang ang napa-freeze ng Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) na konektado sa katiwalian sa likod ng maanomalyang flood control projects.

Maging ang naibalik ni dating DPWH district engineer Henry Alcantara—P110 milyon noong isang buwan at posibleng P200 milyon pa sa mga susunod na linggo—ay hindi man lang halos makabawas sa laki ng nawalang pondo, dagdag niya.

“Hindi pa natin nabibilang ang substandard,” aniya sa naunang panayam sa DZBB.

Dahil dito, aniya, napakaliit ng bilang ng mga proyektong natuklasan at natalakay pa lamang ng Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. Nauna na rin niyang detalyado ang sistema ng korupsiyon sa mga substandard at ghost flood control projects sa kanyang mga privilege speech nitong Agosto at Setyembre.

Hinimok niya ang Ombudsman na i-deputize ang civil society organizations, at ang academe upang makatulong sa pagtukoy ng mas marami pang ghost projects, na aniya ay malawak ang saklaw at maaaring magpataas pa sa kabuuang nawaldas na pondo.

Dagdag pa niya, dapat magpursige ang AMLC na i-freeze ang “web of accounts” ng mga personalidad na sangkot sa naturang korupsiyon.

Samantala, sinabi ni Lacson na handa ang Blue Ribbon Committee na tumulong sa Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), Department of Justice, at Office of the Ombudsman sa pagsusulong ng kaso laban sa mga sangkot, kung may bagong impormasyong ihaharap.

“So kung may lalabas na bagong information sa ibang lugar hopefully makatulong kami sa ICI, Ombudsman at DOJ,” aniya.

Ayon pa kay Lacson, sinimulan na ng Senado ang pagtuwid sa ilang nakagawiang kaugnay ng anomalous flood control projects sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatupad ng transparency sa pagbuo ng 2026 budget.

Kabilang sa mga hakbang ang livestreaming ng period of amendments at paglalantad ng lahat ng individual amendments ng mga senador—na magpapahadlang sa allocables, leadership funds, at iba pang anyo ng pork barrel.

“Hindi uubra (ang allocables) kasi ginawa naming transparent. Kung napanood ninyo ang aming livestreaming nag-introduce kami ng individual amendments on the floor. Dati kasi ang kalakaran, mag-submit ng kapirasong papel sa chairman. Hindi ito nakalantad,” aniya.

“Sa Senate ginawa namin kahapon. Lahat na individual amendments, pati nag-submit hindi mismong nag-introduce sa floor binasa ni Sen. Gatchalian. 11 ang binasa niyang individual amendments ng senador. At ito pagaralan ulit kung ilan ang ia-accept at ilan ire-reject,” dagdag pa niya.

Nauna nang tinukoy ni Lacson ang allocables bilang bagong mukha ng pork barrel, matapos suriin ang mga dokumento sa 2025 budget na tinawag niyang “corrupt to the core.”

Ipinaliwanag niya na ang allocables — na nagbibigay-daan para mapondohan ang mga item bago pa i-identify ng mga mambabatas — ay nasa loob ng National Expenditure Program, ang panukalang budget na inihahanda ng Executive Department bago isumite sa Kongreso.

Dagdag pa ni Lacson, nagkasundo ang Senado at Kamara na gawing simple ang bicameral conference committee proceedings upang talakayin lamang ang mga hindi pinagkakasunduang probisyon ng kanilang mga bersyon ng budget bill — at hindi anumang “alien” provision na isinisingit sa alinmang panig.

Samantala, sinabi niya na ipo-post ni Gatchalian sa transparency portal ng website ng Senado ang mga amendments at kaugnay na detalye.

“Mas simple yan at pwede naming gawing transparent yan. At yan intention namin. All the way hanggang bicam gagawing transparent, hanggang enrolled bill gagawin naming transparent,” aniya.

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