COA: P341 million worth of flood control projects substandard, non-existent

The Commission on Audit (COA) has found P341 million worth of flood control projects by three contractors as either substandard, overpriced or non-existent, according to the documents submitted by the COA and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday afternoon.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon and COA Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba turned over the COA Fraud Audit findings on five flood control projects in person, saying this is in accordance with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s directive to hold individuals involved in the flood control mess accountable as soon as possible.

The five alleged anomalous flood control projects are:

• Construction of Flood Mitigation Structures in Barangay Frances, Calumpit, Bulacan worth P77 million by Wawao Builders (incomplete project, substandard)
• Construction of Flood Mitigation Structures in Barangay Sta. Lucia, Calumpit, Bulacan worth P74 million by Wawao Builders (90% complete on record but it was not the case on site)
• Rehabilitation of River Protection Structure in Bulusan, Calumpit, Bulacan worth P96.4 million by St. Timothy Construction Corporation (there is a P38.4 million discrepancy in pricing between the DPWH and the COA’s evaluated cost)
• Barangays Buguion - Sergio Bayan - Balite - San Marcos -Palimbang Flood Control structure in Plaridel, Bulacan worth P39 million by St. Timothy Construction Corporation (government overpaid by P3 million and substandard), and
• Reinforced Concrete River Wall Barangay Piel, Baliuag Bulacan worth P55 million by SYMS Construction Trading (no construction found on site)

This first batch of Fraud Audit Reports stemmed from Cordoba's directive last August 12, 2025 that ordered the immediate conduct of fraud audit on all DPWH flood control projects from July 1, 2022, to May 30, 2025 in Bulacan.

“Ang bilin niya, paspasan. Let's start acting and filing the cases.  It will depend on the Ombudsman what final charges will be filed. Nakita naman natin ang galit ng Pangulo. Naiyak na siya sa galit,” Dizon told reporters during the turnover.

(The President wants urgent action. File appropriate cases against those liable. We saw the President’s anger, his tears, over this.)

“Hindi makaka-move on ng DPWH kung hindi natin mag-purge itong institution na ito ng lahat ng mga masasamang tao. At iyan ang commitment ko kay Pangulo at sa ating mga kababayan na hindi tayo titigil na hanggang magawa natin,” Dizon added.

(The DPWH cannot move on if the institution won’t be purged of bad eggs. And that is my commitment to the President. We won’t stop until we achieve that.)—LDF, GMA Integrated News