Marcos Jr. tightens contractor vetting for P545B flood control projects

On Tuesday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced stricter vetting processes for contractors handling flood control projects and launched a new website called 'Sumbong sa Pangulo' to track and report issues related to these projects.

Since July 2022, the administration has implemented around P545 billion worth of flood control projects but found that 6,021 projects valued at roughly P350 billion lacked clear specifications on the type of structures being built or rehabilitated.

Fifty projects had identical contract amounts, raising questions over possible uniform pricing or irregularities, and just 15 companies cornered around P100 billion, or 20% of the total allocation, with several operating in nearly every region of the country.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan announced that the agency will focus its audit on these 15 contractors to examine their projects' status and report back to the President.

Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero denied any involvement in a company linked to the president's list of top contractors for flood control projects, stating he has no ties with construction or government supply businesses since joining government in 1998.