PUWERSA ng Pilipinong Pandagat (PPP) party-list Representative Harold Duterte has called for a uniform, document-based investigation into flood-control projects nationwide, urging lawmakers to disclose details of projects implemented in their respective districts and constituencies.
Duterte said investigations should not be limited to selected lawmakers or political groups, stressing that all officials and contractors linked to flood-control projects should be subjected to the same standards of scrutiny.
“No exceptions, no sacred cows,” Duterte said.
His statement came amid renewed scrutiny of flood-control projects following findings by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) involving projects in Davao City.
The NBI earlier flagged 47 of 100 flood-control projects in the first district of Davao City for alleged “red flags.” The projects were part of around P1.9 billion worth of flood-control works awarded to Genesis88 Construction Inc., based on Department of Public Works and Highways records cited by the NBI.
The agency has said its investigation is not limited to Davao and that it is also examining projects in other areas, including Bulacan, Mindoro, Pampanga, Olongapo, and Cebu.
Duterte said the continuing investigations by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), NBI, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Office of the Ombudsman, Commission on Audit and other government agencies should ultimately result in accountability based on evidence.
He questioned why some investigation reports have yet to be released and why relatively few cases have been filed despite the billions of pesos involved in the controversy.
According to Duterte, the government should abandon what he described as a selective approach and instead require every member of Congress whose district or constituency has received flood-control projects to submit comprehensive project records.
These should include the project name and location, implementing agency, contractor, project cost, completion status and date of completion, as well as Certificates of Completion and other supporting documents, he said.
Duterte said the records should be used to determine whether projects were actually completed, paid for and physically constructed.
“If a project was completed, show the Certificate of Completion. If it was paid for, show the records. If it exists, show the actual structure. If it does not exist, then someone must answer where the money went,” he said.
He further stressed that the same review should cover lawmakers regardless of party affiliation, district or political position.
The call comes as government agencies continue to pursue separate investigations into alleged irregularities in flood-control projects.
The Commission on Audit said it had completed 50 fraud audit reports involving flood-control projects and submitted them to the Ombudsman for preliminary investigation and possible case filing.
The Ombudsman, meanwhile, has been validating information from the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee while conducting its own investigations into alleged irregularities in flood-control projects.
Cases have also been filed in connection with alleged anomalies. In June, the Ombudsman filed graft and malversation charges against contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya and public works officials over an alleged irregular flood-control project in Calumpit, Bulacan involving about P53 million.
Duterte also weighed in on the public exchange between Davao City First District Representative Paolo Duterte and Laguna First District Representative Ann Matibag, whose husband, NBI Director Melvin Matibag, is heading the bureau's investigation.
The dispute followed the NBI's findings involving flood-control projects in Paolo Duterte's district. Paolo Duterte questioned whether similar scrutiny should be applied to projects in other congressional districts, while Ann Matibag challenged him to submit evidence to the appropriate authorities.
Harold Duterte said the disagreement should not overshadow the need for evidence-based investigations.
He noted that despite their differences, the two lawmakers had expressed support for investigations based on documents, evidence and facts.
“That is exactly how it should be,” he said.
Duterte said the public has grown weary of the prolonged controversy and is seeking answers, accountability and the recovery of public funds if wrongdoing is established.
He maintained that investigations and prosecutions should not be driven by political considerations, arguing that the focus should instead be on what government records and physical inspections establish.
“The flood-control scandal should not be about who gets investigated. It should be about what the documents prove,” Duterte said.
He urged lawmakers to open their project records for scrutiny and called for contractors, Certificates of Completion and project expenditures to be examined.
Duterte said those found responsible for irregularities should face prosecution regardless of their political affiliation or position.
“If we truly want to clean up the flood-control mess, then let us start by applying one standard to everyone—transparency, evidence, accountability, and justice,” he said. DEF
