Senator Ping Lacson pushed for the all-out help of the private sector in addressing the flooding problem, even as he continues his own probe into failed and ghost flood control projects that have cost taxpayers more than P2 trillion in the last 15 years.
Lacson said the offer of San Miguel Corp. president Ramon Ang to do a cleanup of rivers and other waterways at no cost to the government may be an opportunity for Malacanang to appeal to the corporate social responsibility of other big companies.
In the meantime, the veteran legislator said he is continuing his own investigation into failed and ghost flood control projects, including new modus operandi involved.
“SMC’s Ramon Ang has offered to solve the recurring flood problems in Metro Manila at no cost to the government.”
“SMC’s Ramon Ang has offered to solve the recurring flood problems in Metro Manila at no cost to the government. He said he only needs authorization. Imagine if the country’s richest families will pool their CSR (corporate social responsibility) resources together and do what the government spends hundreds of billions on in tax money every fiscal year, but seems to fail to deliver. It may be a little out of the box, but why not?” the seasoned lawmaker said in a post on his X account Saturday evening.
Should Ang deliver on his offer, the senator said he will move to reduce the 2026 flood management appropriations for Metro Manila for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
He earlier pointed out the DPWH alone received more than P2 trillion in flood management allocations since 2011, but failed to solve the flooding problem.
“Assuming RSA is given the authority and actually performs what he offered to do before our plenary debates on the 2026 budget bill, I will move to reduce the DPWH and MMDA appropriations for the flood management program in the NCR during the period of individual amendments,” Lacson said.
In a recent interview on DWIZ, he said Ang’s commendable initiative is an opportunity for Malacanang “to issue a clarion call to other billionaires in the Forbes list to pool their resources for this as an act of corporate social responsibility.”
“Imagine if RSA or a big corporation offered to solve the flooding in Metro Manila, what if a challenge was made to others in the Forbes list to help the government in this regard? I am sure they would agree, and you can just imagine the problem we can solve,” Lacson said in Filipino.
Meanwhile, Lacson said he is continuing his verification of information into failed and ghost flood control projects, even as he added he is willing to compare notes with a list of such projects submitted by the DPWH to Malacanang.
“I want my findings to be factual, that’s why I am having details on the ground checked.”
“I am continuing my verification. I am very careful on this, I want my findings to be factual, that’s why I am having details on the ground checked,” he said.
Lacson said he is looking into projects that were funded in earlier General Appropriations Act (GAAs) that were listed as completed in previous years, but were never constructed – and funds were allotted for them again in the 2025 GAA.
“For example a project would be funded 1-2 years ago. It will not be constructed and it will not be too obvious because it is in a remote area, but it will be funded again, then actually constructed. If you do not check records covering more than one year, you won’t notice it immediately,” he said.
Another modus operandi is to use substandard materials and practices that do not follow the project’s specifications.
Still another possible issue involves the DPWH district engineer who has a construction company implementing the project in the contractor’s name, with the contractor pressured into complying as his future projects may be at stake. But with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. now having the flood control projects investigated, the contractors will be in the hot seat.
But Lacson said he is still verifying the information, since it is also possible that the projects may have been wiped out by previous calamities.
“I cannot have just one validation. And I will not make accusations without being sure of my facts,” he concluded.
