After the auditing of flood control programs to see which of them are failed or ghost projects, there must be the certainty of punishment on the erring contractors involved, as well as their accomplices in government.
Senator Ping Lacson stressed this as he said the culprits will likely lie low for now – and go back to business if no one is actually punished.
“Someone must be held accountable. Because if not, the flood control mess will continue.”
“The most effective mechanism is the certainty of punishment. Someone must be held accountable. Because if not, the flood control mess will continue, with the culprits lying low and then going back to business. So that is the most effective mechanism – to see the culprits actually getting punished,” Lacson said in Filipino in an interview on Bombo Radyo Philippines.
The veteran legislator bared recently that almost P2 trillion had been allocated for flood control projects since 2011, but this failed to stop floods from affecting Filipinos.
“Up to half of the P2 trillion may have ended up in some people’s pockets.”
The seasoned lawmaker also cited figures showing that up to half of the P2 trillion may have ended up in some people’s pockets.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his State of the Nation Address (SONA), ordered an audit of flood control programs and to make public the list of failed and ghost projects – and to charge those responsible.
“So what is needed now is to convert the President’s order into concrete action, to hold accountable not just the contractors but also their accomplices in the government,” the senator concluded.
