SENATOR Panfilo Lacson said Wednesday, December 3, 2025, that the country has likely lost over P180 billion to ghost flood control projects.
In a radio interview, Lacson, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee probing the anomalous projects, said he and Senate Committee on Finance chair Sherwin Gatchalian arrived at the estimate based on the 10,000 projects inspected so far.
He said of the 10,000 projects, over 600 were found to be ghost or non-existent.
“Ang universe ng flood control projects mula 2016 hanggang to date, nasa mga 30,000. So kung i-extrapolate natin, easily six percent kasi kung 10,000 eh nasa 600 ka na mahigit,” Lacson said.
(The universe of flood control projects from 2016 up to date is around 30,000. So if we extrapolate, that’s easily six percent, because if there are 10,000, you’re already at more than 600.)
Lacson noted that the estimated losses do not yet include substandard projects.
This also meant that the projects being tackled by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee represent only a “minuscule” portion of the country’s corruption problem related to flood control programs, the senator said.
Lacson added that the P110 million returned by dismissed Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara was a “pittance,” even if he is expected to return P200 million more in the coming weeks.
Alcantara, during the panel’s inquiry, admitted involvement in anomalous flood control projects.
He even detailed a money-making scheme involving public funds intended for flood control programs.
He claimed he delivered kickbacks from these projects to retired DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, and Caloocan Second District Representative Mary Mitzi “Mitch” Cajayon-Uy.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) earlier sold three of the seven luxury vehicles seized from contractor couple Pacifico and Sarah Discaya for P38.2 million through a public auction.
The BOC said it expects to collect a total of P103,865,125.97 from the sale of the Discayas’ luxury vehicles, which were believed to have been purchased using ill-gotten money.
The Discaya couple owns two of the 15 construction firms that cornered the most flood control projects from the government from 2022 to 2025.
Over the past three years, Discaya-owned firms secured around P31 billion worth of government infrastructure contracts, including flood control projects.
They also revealed alleged bid-rigging in DPWH flood control contracts.
The Discayas further tagged several congressmen who they said received kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)