Rowegie Abanto

Members of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON), together with flood-affected communities, stage a rally in Mendiola, Manila, on Thursday to denounce government corruption and demand accountability in flood control projects. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Members of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON), together with flood-affected communities, stage a rally in Mendiola, Manila, on Thursday to denounce government corruption and demand accountability in flood control projects. The groups also raised concerns over the worsening state of jeepneys under the government’s modernization program, calling for genuine support instead of displacement.
Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

ANTI CORRUTPION PROTEST

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/175842391521920250918-piston-anti-corruption-protest-MT13.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">Members of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON), together with flood-affected communities, stage a rally in Mendiola, Manila, on Thursday to denounce government corruption and demand accountability in flood control projects. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — House members and senators allegedly engaged in corrupt practices involving flood control and other infrastructure projects should be the first to be brought to account, former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Winnie Monsod said Sunday.</p><p>Monsod lamented that there was &quot;little focus&quot; on politicians and noted the prominence of government contractors and public works officials in the national conversation regarding the flood control scandal. </p><p>Lawmakers tagged in the controversy have all denied the allegations.</p><p>Sens. <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/18/jinggoy-reiterates-innocence-in-corruption-allegations-1244">Jinggoy Estrada</a> and <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/18/villanueva-casts-doubt-on-ex-dpwh-officials-photos-linking-him-to-corruption-1608">Joel Villanueva</a>, whom sacked Department of Public Works and Highways engineer Brice Hernandez named in a House probe, have claimed attempts to discredit them.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/21/-tama-na-sobra-na-ikulong-na-flood-victims-to-join-trillion-peso-march-0924"><strong>&#x27;Tama Na, Sobra Na, Ikulong Na!&#x27; Flood victims to join &#x27;Trillion Peso March&#x27;</strong></a></div><p>Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, tagged but not implicated directly, stepped down as House speaker to allow the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/17/romualdez-resigns-as-house-speaker-1525">pursue its mandate freely and fully, without doubt, without interference, without undue influence</a>.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MONSOD: POLITICIANS &#x27;GOT THE MOST&#x27;</strong> <strong></strong><br/></div><p>Monsod pointed out that it was the lawmakers &quot;who get the most of where the corruption goes&quot; as they were the ones responsible for finalizing the annual national budget.</p><p>&quot;Where does it all start? Where do these projects start? They all start with the proponents. These projects would not be undertaken without the proponents,&quot; Monsod told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>&quot;What about the other congressmen in Bulacan? Why haven&#x27;t they been questioned?&quot; the economist said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/8/disacayas-says-corrupt-officials-used-them-in-anomalous-bidding-1114"><strong>Discaya couple says lawmakers, DPWH execs &#x27;used&#x27; them in flood control anomalies</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/21/lacson-hopes-evidence-in-flood-control-probe-will-lead-to-big-fish-0030"><strong>Lacson hopes evidence in flood control probe will lead to &#x27;big fish&#x27;</strong></a></div><p>Monsod made the call as Filipinos on Sunday turned out on the streets of Metro Manila and other parts of the country <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/21/luneta-rally-to-send-message-to-officials-contractors-linked-to-corruption-0929">to condemn the massive corruption in flood control</a> infrastructure, which involved billions of pesos in funds.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;WALANG DAPAT MATIRA SA MGA KORAP&#x27;</strong></div><p>Students, activists, church groups, civil society organizations, and celebrities were expected to join the anti-corruption demonstrations, which coincided with the commemoration of the declaration of Martial Law in 1972.</p><p>&quot;I really think that if we are to get satisfaction from this, we have to focus on the congressmen and the senators who are involved in this terrible, terrible tragedy. They should be the first ones brought to account,&quot; said Monsod, who will also join the protests.</p><p>&quot;They should have to account what their role is in all this because they have the key role,&quot; she said, noting that government contractors are just &quot;pawns.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/19/lacson-estrada-villanueva-not-yet-cleared-in-budget-insertion-issue-1008"><strong>Lacson: Estrada, Villanueva not yet cleared in budget insertion issue</strong></a></div><p>&quot;Buti nga mag-start tayo nang malinis … Ayun nga ang kailangan walang dapat matira sa mga korap,&quot; she said.</p><p>(It would be good to have a clean start, there should be nobody left of the corrupt)</p><p>Many lawmakers have been implicated in the alleged flood control corruption scheme — including those at the top, which led to leadership shakeups — but they have denied any wrongdoing.</p><p>An<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/15/marcos-romualdez-allies-will-not-be-spared-in-independent-probe-on-flood-control-projects-1039"> independent commission</a> created by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to exact accountability on everyone, including his allies and relatives.</p><p>&quot;If walang makulong dito, from top to bottom, naglolokohan lang tayo,&quot; Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said in a separate interview Sunday.</p><p>(If nobody is jailed for this, from top to bottom, then we are just fooling ourselves)</p><p>&quot;And this is just going to keep on happening again and again and again.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/21/infra-corruption-a-tradition-started-during-martial-law-group-1004"><strong>Infra corruption a &#x27;tradition&#x27; started during Martial Law: group</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>WATCH:<br/></strong><br/><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/reIVQgV8Lto?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Monsod lamented that there was "little focus" on politicians and noted the prominence of government contractors and public works officials in the national conversation regarding the flood control scandal.</p>

Monsod lamented that there was "little focus" on politicians and noted the prominence of government contractors and public works officials in the national conversation regarding the flood control scandal.

Winnie Monsod: Politicians should be focus of 'tragedy' of flood control corruption

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Winnie Monsod: Politicians should be focus of 'tragedy' of flood control corruption

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 21, 2025 11:37 AM PHT

|

Updated September 21, 2025 11:45 AM PHT

Read More:

Winnie Monsod

Flood Control

Flood Control Scandal

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