Philippines Hit by Major Corruption Scandal Amid Flood Crisis

In Manila, September 9 (AP) – A significant corruption scandal has rocked the Philippines, implicating two senators in relation to flood-control projects, swiftly investigated by Congress and the government. The allegations have ignited public outrage in a nation often besieged by deadly storms and flooding.

Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva adamantly denied the accusations from Brice Ericson Hernandez, a former engineer with the Department of Public Works and Highways. Hernandez provided testimony under oath during a nationally broadcast House of Representatives committee inquiry focusing on infrastructure.

During a separate Senate inquiry held on Monday, two construction firm owners identified at least 17 House legislators who allegedly received substantial kickbacks.

The scandal has resulted in the public works secretary resigning and prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to announce the formation of an independent commission aimed at investigating these widespread anomalies, describing them as “horrible.” As a consequence, President Marcos has decided to withhold next year's funding for flood control projects.

There have been pockets of protests, albeit small but vocal, led by activists. Last Friday, a diverse group comprising more than 150 former cabinet members, Catholic Church leaders, retired generals, business executives, and anti-corruption groups released a joint statement expressing outrage over “the multi-billion-peso flood control scandal harming and killing Filipinos amid a climate crisis that amplifies our country's vulnerability to deadly storms.” The country's Defence Secretary, Gilberto Teodoro, who also leads disaster-response efforts, has given his backing to the investigations.

Hernandez, during questioning by House legislators, disclosed his concerns for safety but claimed Estrada received a 30 percent kickback from 355 million pesos (USD 6.2 million) worth of flood control projects. Villanueva allegedly received 30 percent from 600 million pesos (USD 10.5 million) worth of projects in 2023 in Bulacan, a flood-prone area north of Manila. Hernandez mentioned that government drivers delivered the kickbacks, although he did not provide further details or evidence.

In response, Estrada dismissed the allegations as baseless, referring to them as a “big lie” and challenged Hernandez to a public lie-detector test.

“I'm ready to prove that his allegations were all lies,” Estrada declared during a press conference.

This confrontation comes after Estrada cited Hernandez for contempt in a Senate inquiry for not responding to questions regarding his gambling habits.

Similarly, Villanueva asserted his innocence in a Senate speech, stating he possesses evidence to counter the claims.

“I will never ever destroy the name handed down by my parents because it is priceless,” said Villanueva, a son of a Christian evangelist and civil rights advocate.

The Philippines has allocated approximately 545 billion pesos (USD 9.6 billion) toward numerous flood mitigation projects over the past three years. These projects are currently under governmental scrutiny to determine which may be substandard or nonexistent, as President Marcos noted during recent inspections in flood-prone provinces.

A new website initiated by the president to encourage the reporting of anomalies has already been inundated with thousands of complaints.

The Philippines experiences around 20 typhoons and storms annually. Recently, in July, two consecutive typhoons combined with monsoon rains, triggering massive floods that affected millions, displaced over 300,000, and led to extensive infrastructural and agricultural damages. Most casualties from these events were poor villagers, often succumbing to flash floods.

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