Philippine president fumes over flood corruption, ‘economic sabotage’
Despite billions being spent on flood control in recent years, Manila was still submerged this summer after four days of torrential rain
“I’m not disappointed, I’m angry,” Marcos told local media after inspecting a barren site in Bulacan where a 55 million-peso (US$964,000) river wall was supposed to have been built. “They didn’t work for even a single day. Even if you see it for yourself, you won’t see anything,” said Marcos on the “ghost” project that was declared completed by the relevant contractors.
When asked about action against offenders, Marcos said falsification of such projects was already a “very serious violation” and suggested that anyone found to be behind the largest anomalies uncovered in an ongoing audit probe could face harsher treatment. “For the big ones, I’m thinking very hard about charging them with economic sabotage,” he said on Wednesday.
Marcos noted that the government had already spent 545 billion pesos (US$9.5 billion) on flood management since 2022, yet last month’s typhoons left Metro Manila and nearby provinces submerged after four days of torrential rain.
The floods and investigations exposing the siphoning of public money from substandard or non-existent projects have fuelled anger among Filipinos and demands for accountability.
