Ramon Ang to help solve metro's flooding woes at 'no cost to the gov't'

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) president and CEO Ramon Ang on Friday volunteered to help solve the flooding problems in Metro Manila "at no cost to the government."

In a press conference with concerned government officials, Ang vowed to work on flood mitigation projects, including the construction of drainage systems and clearing operations, as well as housing and school-building programs. 

“Ako po San Miguel, Ramon Ang, nagvo-volunteer ako ngayon. Ako na ang tutulong sa buong Metro Manila ma-solve ang baha at no cost to the people at no cost to the government,” Ang said.

(I, San Miguel, Ramon Ang, am volunteering now. I will help the entire Metro Manila solve the flooding at no cost to the people and no cost to the government.)

This comes weeks after Ang's firm was being blamed for the flooding in some areas where they have ongoing projects.  

“Kasalanan ba namin ‘yun? Hindi. Wala nang turuan. Pinalitan namin lahat ng kanal. Kami ang gumawa noon,” Ang said.

(Was that our fault? No. Let’s stop pointing fingers. We replaced all the gutters. We were the ones who solved that.)

In July, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) called out the MRT Line 7 project contractors and the Skyway management, both under SMC, over issues that allegedly contribute to the flooding in their concerned areas.

SMC said its MRT-7 Project Management Office has clarified its facilities near Batasan Station on Commonwealth Avenue “are not the cause of the flooding.”

“All MRT-7 structures in the area, including columns and footings, were built outside existing drainage lines and do not obstruct the natural flow of water. These were constructed with full consideration of the drainage layout and in compliance with approved engineering plans,” SMC said.

“Concerns that were raised about a manhole constructed along the drainage line have also been reviewed. Based on design, simulation, and on-site inspection, the manhole does not interfere with water flow inside the pipe culverts,” it added.

40% left for projects

According to Senator Panfilo Lacson, government projects are left with less than 40% of the budget for the construction due to commissions and taxes being paid, According to Senator Panfilo Lacson 

“Wala pang 40% [maititra sa project] kasama na yung taxes, VAT, passing through, komisyon. Kasi ang nangyayari, lahat ng ahensya, lahat ng dadaanan ng papels na gragasahan eh,” Lacson told Super Radyo DzBB on Sunday.

(Less than 40% is left for the project. These include taxes, Value Added Tax, pass-through costs, and commissions. In every agency, every piece of paperwork goes through a bribe.)

Lacson noted that with less budget allocated for the construction, contractors opt for “substandard materials” or “shortchange” the government.

For example, Lacson said, a 50-meter dike is constructed instead of 150 meters, or sheet piles are buried three meters instead of the specified six meters.

However, the senator did not go into the details and locations since his team is currently looking into the reported anomalies.

“May mga nakita kaming ganon pero abangan na lang kasi bina-validate pa namin lahat pati yung mga ghost projects na nakita namin, talagang bina-validate namin ng husto para sigurado,”  Lacson said.

(We have seen something like this but wait as we are validating everything and this includes ghost projects we have found, which we are validating to confirm.)

As a result, Lacson noted, even contractors reduce their profit from 15% to 10% to shoulder the additional costs. 

He added that a 5% to 6% passing-through fee is being paid to the local government for the contractor to enter the area.

“Halimbawa, ang hari doon sa distrito ay yung congressman na at the same time contractor or may kamag-anak na contractor. Kapag may contractor na papasok doon, magbabayad ng 5% passing through, parang toll. So, bawas na kaagad yun sa cost ng proyekto,” Lacson said.

(For example, in some districts, the king is the congressman who is also a contractor or has relatives who are contractors. When another contractor enters the area, they have to pay a 5% 'passing through' fee, like a toll. That amount is immediately deducted from the project cost.)

Lacson also clarified that he did not have a list of lawmakers involved in the issues surrounding the flood control projects.

“Wala akong listahan [ng mga kongresistang kontratista]. Sabi nung kausap ko, 67 and still counting. ‘Yun lang ang aking information,” Lacson said.

(I don’t have a list of lawmakers. I said someone told me there are 67 of them and still counting. That’s my only information.)

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong earlier said he is ready to face Congress after he claimed that there were lawmakers receiving 30% to 40% kickbacks from government projects.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Lacson said San Miguel Corp. president Ramon Ang’s offer to help solve the flooding problems in Metro Manila could be an opportunity for Malacañang to call for corporate social responsibility from other firms.

“Imagine if the country’s richest families will pool their CSR (corporate social responsibility) resources together and do what 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 senator said.

"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,” he added.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr had said his administration is willing to operate under a reenacted budget in 2026, warning that he will veto a proposed budget bill, which will not be in harmony with his administration’s programs and priorities, including the flood control projects. — with a report from Mariel Celine Serquiña/VAL/RF, GMA Integrated News