THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Commission on Audit (COA) recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman the filing of criminal charges against three construction firms involved in anomalous flood control projects in the province of Bulacan.
DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon and COA Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman the COA audit findings on the five flood projects in Bulacan:
* Construction of Flood Mitigation Structures in Barangay Frances, Calumpit, Bulacan amounting to P77 million by Wawao Builders -- incomplete and substandard project
* Construction of Flood Mitigation Structures in Barangay Sta. Lucia, Calumpit, Bulacan worth P74 million by Wawao Builders -- falsely declared 90 percent complete
* Rehabilitation of River Protection Structure in Bulusan, Calumpit, Bulacan valued at P96.4 million by St. Timothy Construction Corporation -- there is a P38.4 million discrepancy in pricing between the DPWH and the COA’s evaluated cost
* Barangays Buguion-Sergio Bayan-Balite-San Marcos-Palimbang Flood Control structure in Plaridel, Bulacan worth P39 million by St. Timothy Construction Corporation -- overpriced by P3 million and substandard
* Reinforced Concrete River Wall Barangay Piel, Baliuag Bulacan worth P55 million by SYMS Construction Trading -- ghost project
These were the initial result of the COA fraud audit on flood control projects that covers the period from July 1, 2022, to May 30, 2025 as ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“Umpisa pa lamang ito ng ating gagawing pagsasaayos ng ahensya. Sisiguraduhin nating bawat sangkot ay mananagot, at makukulong. Kasunod nito, isasangguni rin namin sa Office of the Ombudsman ang pagsampa ng kasong kriminal laban sa mga napatunayang tiwali sa DPWH,” said Dizon.
(This is only the beginning of the reforms we will implement in the agency. We will make sure that everyone involved will be held accountable and imprisoned. Following this, we will also refer to the Office of the Ombudsman the filing of criminal charges against those proven to be corrupt in the DPWH.)
“Hindi makakamove on ang DPWH kung hindi natin mapupurge itong institusyon na ito at ng masasamang tao. At 'yon ang commitment ko kay Pangulo at sa ating mga kababayan. Hindi tayo titigil, hangga't magawa natin,” he added.
(The DPWH cannot move forward unless we purge this institution of wrongdoing and corrupt individuals. And that is my commitment to the President and to our fellow citizens. We will not stop until we achieve it.)
St. Timothy Construction Corporation and Wawao Builders were two of the top 15 construction firms that bagged the most number of government flood control contracts from 2022 to 2025.
The P55-million ghost project cornered by Syms Construction Trading in Baliuag was inspected by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself in August.
The actual start date indicated was February 2, 2025 and the contract expiry date was October 22, 2025.
Marcos said as of June 2025, based on a report, the project was completed and fully paid but he found nothing in the site. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)