Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Napoles

Rowegie Abanto

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757558957826cropped-Screen Shot 2025-09-11 at 10.48.16 AM.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The PDAF scam, allegedly led by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles and some lawmakers, was said to have funneled some P10 billion in government funds through bogus non-governmental organizations. ABS-CBN News/File</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The scale of corruption in the Philippines&#x27; flood control projects is much bigger than the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam that gripped the nation over a decade ago, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said Thursday.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am-hRvMaYvk">PDAF scam</a>, allegedly led by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles and some lawmakers, was said to have funneled some P10 billion in government funds through bogus non-governmental organizations.</p><p>&quot;This [flood control scheme] is a corruption on a scale that we have not seen in the past,&quot; Dizon said. &quot;The Napoles scandal is like petty change compared to this,&quot; he told ANC.</p><p>In August, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. revealed that <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/11/15-contractors-cornered-p100-b-worth-of-flood-control-projects-since-2022-marcos-1053">only 15 contractors bagged about P100 billion </a>or 20 percent of about 10,000 flood control projects from July 2022 to May 2025.</p><p>He said that more than half of these government-funded infrastructure projects did not provide details on the type of structure being built.</p><p>The President&#x27;s revelation triggered investigations and led to the discovery of <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/19/dpwh-chief-admits-existence-of-ghost-flood-control-projects-vows-probe-1233">&quot;ghost&quot; or non-existent projects</a> and an <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/8/disacayas-says-corrupt-officials-used-them-in-anomalous-bidding-1114">alleged pay-off scheme</a> between contractors, politicians, and Department of Public Works and Highways officials.</p><p>Dizon made the comparison as he spoke about the need to make every individual involved in the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/12/magalong-willing-to-lead-probe-into-highly-syndicated-flood-control-mess-1030">corruption &quot;syndicate&quot;</a> accountable.</p><p>He said he was &quot;overwhelmed&quot; by the gravity of the corruption he had seen inside the DPWH, adding that it would be &quot;difficult&quot; and would &quot;take time&quot; to cleanse the agency.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/9/10/flood-control-scandal-harms-ph-business-reputation-biz-group-1911">Flood control scandal harms PH reputation among business community, foreign countries: PCCI</a></div><p>&quot;I can&#x27;t do this alone. I need people to help me… It&#x27;s a deeply seated problem that has been there for decades,&quot; he said.</p><p>Dizon said the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/11/dpwh-to-file-raps-vs-18-personnel-contractors-tagged-in-flood-control-mess-0804">DPWH was set to file complaints Thursday at the Office of the Ombudsman against some of the agency&#x27;s personnel and contractors </a>allegedly involved in the flood control project anomalies, which he called &quot;massive theft of people&#x27;s money.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/11/a-timeline-of-the-philippine-flood-control-scandal-0600">A timeline of the Philippine flood control scandal</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2X2Ss8JTeDc?&amp;t=13s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GReFwlYf_8c?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>"The Napoles scandal is like petty change compared to this," <i>Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said.</i></p>

"The Napoles scandal is like petty change compared to this," Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said.

DPWH chief: Napoles scam 'like petty change' compared to flood control corruption

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DPWH chief: Napoles scam 'like petty change' compared to flood control corruption

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 11, 2025 10:53 AM PHT

Read More:

Vince Dizon

PDAF scam

DPWH

Flood Control

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