Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo โPingโ Lacson delivered another heavy blow in the unfolding flood control corruption scandal โ this time revealing that an estimated โฑ180 billion may have vanished into ghost projects dating back nearly a decade. And that figure doesnโt even include substandard or overpriced constructions already under Senate scrutiny.
Lacson said he and Senate finance chair Sherwin Gatchalian arrived at the estimate after reviewing 10,000 inspected projects, where over 600 turned out to be completely nonexistent. Applying that ratio to 30,000 total flood control projects since 2016 suggests that at least 6 percent of them may be ghost projects โ translating to well over โฑ180 billion lost. โImagine losing that amount,โ Lacson said. โAnd we havenโt even counted how much more we bled from substandard projects.โ
He noted that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s hearings so far โ shocking as theyโve been โ still represent only a fraction of the full picture. The corruption pipeline appears far deeper and more embedded than what initial testimonies have exposed. Lacson also pointed out that last weekโs high-profile return of โฑ110 million by former DPWH district engineer Henry Alcantara is โa pittanceโ compared to the possible total losses, though Alcantara is expected to return another โฑ200 million soon.
Lacson emphasized that the Senate remains committed to tracking every peso, every contractor, and every questionable project. โThis is only the beginning,โ he said, as investigations widen toward other public works districts and political personalities allegedly involved in systematic kickback chains.
Image from Ping Lacson FB