Win Gatchalian: People linked to flood control mess will be jailed before Nov. 30

Citing the country’s economic managers, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Thursday that certain individuals allegedly involved in the anomalous flood control projects will be put to jail before the end of the month. 

Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate finance committee and sponsor of the 2026 budget of the Department of Finance (DOF) at the upper chamber, said that Finance Secretary Ralph Recto assured him that justice will be served and there will be people who will be arrested before November 30, 2025. 

“Sabi niya, Mr. President, may makukulong before November 30. He said it in a very confident manner, Mr. President. So that’s in the next 15 days, meron hong makukulong,” the senator said during the plenary debates on the 2026 General Appropriations Bill. 

(Secretary Recto said that someone will be imprisoned before November 30. He said it in a very confident manner, Mr. President. So in the next 15 days, someone will be imprisoned.) 

“And we welcome that, Mr. President, because talagang wala hong matuto kung walang makukulong eh. Mauulit at mauulit lang ho ‘to kung hindi makukulong talaga at mawawalan ng kumpyansa ang business community and mga investors sa atin kung hindi natin gagawin ‘to,  and also consumers and most importantly, taxpayers kasi masakit ho talaga sa taxpayers natin na nakikita ang buwis nila na nasasayang,” he added. 

(And we welcome that, Mr. President, because no one will learn if no one goes to jail. This will only happen again if we don't actually imprison someone. The business community and investors will also lose confidence in us, as well as the consumers and most importantly, taxpayers because it really hurts them to see their taxes being put to waste.) 

Gatchalian further underscored the need to jail the perpetrators behind the flood control controversy in order to build confidence and restore the public trust in the government. 

“Secretary Recto mentioned to me and the economic managers also are in unison on this. This might not be an economic policy but part of the confidence building and bringing trust to the government is making sure that people who are involved in that flood control corruption…will be held into account, and also make sure, the government will make sure that they will be put in jail, filed cases, and put in jail before the end of the year,” he explained. 

“Part ito ng (this is part of) confidence building, Mr. President, because if you talk about bringing trust to the government, it’s not only the trust of our people, but trust of our business community,” he continued. 

Last month, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon said that some accused in flood control corruption cases may be arrested and jailed by Christmas. 

The Palace-created Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) earlier asked the Ombudsman to file plunder, bribery, and corruption complaints against Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, former representatives Zaldy Co and Mitch Cajayon, and Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Mario Lipana, among others, over the flood control mess.

The said personalities have since denied the allegations against them.

The ICI also recommended the possible filing of graft, malversation, and falsification charges against Co and other DPWH officials over their alleged links to the P289.5 million road dike project along the Mag-Asawang Tubig River in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

On Thursday, the ICI said it is also recommending the filing of charges against former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, three more current and former senators, and others over alleged corruption in flood control projects.