Marilyn Cahatol

The Philippine Senate’s Blue Ribbon Committee continues its probe into flood control projects on Thursday, September 18, 2025, attended by officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways led by Sec. Vince Dizon, along with representatives of contractors implicated in the alleged ghost and substandard projects nationwide.
Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

FLOOD CONTROL PROBE

ABS-CBN News

<div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XKNVP-gcn78?si=BeFCBTnbYCm6wpQX" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Thursday resumed its investigation into the anomalous flood control projects in the Philippines.</p><p>Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/1-or-2-senate-hearings-left-on-anomalous-flood-control-projects-sotto-1457">said </a>there is one to two hearings left on the controversy before the committee conducts its assessment meeting.</p><p>Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza and government contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya are expected to speak more abou the anomalous flood control and other infrastructure projects. </p><p>Hernandez&#x27; legal counsel Raymond Fortun said <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/24/hernandez-s-lawyer-confirms-more-senators-may-be-linked-to-flood-control-scam-1607">six senators</a> may be involved in the flood control mess, which can be proven by the data in the engineer&#x27;s computer surrendered to the Department of Justice. </p><p>Former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, whom Alcantara said also received kickbacks from the flood control projects, is also set to testify in today&#x27;s hearing. </p><p>Senate President Pro Tempore and Blue Ribbon Committee chairperson Sen. Panfilo Lacson called the flood control corruption an &quot;inside job robbery.&quot;</p><p>&quot;With all that has been exposed so far by our Senate inquiry, even my &#x27;corruptionary&#x27; won’t have the words for the insatiable greed of those government officials involved in what I can only describe as an &#x27;inside job robbery&#x27; committed against the People of the Philippines,&quot; Lacson said on X (formerly Twitter).</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>LAST HEARING</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>During the last hearing, former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan and former DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral explained that <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/ex-dpwh-exec-half-of-agency-budget-may-be-allocated-to-lawmakers-1618">half of the agency&#x27;s budget</a> was allocable to lawmakers&#x27; preferred projects. </p><p>Alcantara also admitted that contractors were obliged to give 25 to 30 percent of projects’ costs to lawmakers and DPWH officials.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/alcantara-hernandez-consistent-over-flood-control-alleged-kickbacks-for-jinggoy-villanueva-1826">Alcantara, Hernandez consistent over flood control alleged kickbacks for Jinggoy, Villanueva</a></div><p>Hernandez also revealed all infrastructure projects in Bulacan 1st District were overpriced and underdesigned to accommodate the “standard operating procedure” of giving a portion of project costs to DPWH officials, lawmakers and other contractors who purposely lost the fake biddings.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/tiangco-files-ethics-complaint-against-zaldy-co-over-flood-control-insertions-1515">Tiangco files ethics complaint against Zaldy Co over flood control insertions</a></div><p>Alcantara accused Sens. Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, former Sen. Bong Revilla, Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, and former Caloocan Rep. Mitch Cajayon-Uy of receiving kickbacks from their flood control project insertions.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/brice-hernandez-says-he-delivered-suitcases-of-cash-to-co-aide-1511">&#x27;Maraming maleta ng pera&#x27;: Brice Hernandez says he delivered P1 billion to Co aide</a></div><p><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/zaldy-co-says-p35-b-insertion-kickback-allegations-against-him-false-baseless-1710">Co</a> and <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/villanueva-says-ready-to-be-investigated-on-p150-m-kickback-allegation-1652">Villanueva </a>denied the allegations.</p><p>On the same day, Alcantara was immediately <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/alcantara-dinala-sa-doj-matapos-ang-pasabog-sa-blue-ribbon-1229">brought </a>to the Department of Justice for the evaluation of his statements. </p><p>DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla later said the National Bureau of Investigation <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/nbi-recommends-charges-vs-villanueva-estrada-co-over-alcantara-s-kickback-claims-1555">recommended </a>filing indirect bribery and malversation charges against the named lawmakers.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/ex-dpwh-engineer-alcantara-undergoes-initial-evaluation-for-witness-protection-program-1430">Ex-DPWH engineer Alcantara undergoes initial evaluation for witness protection program</a></div><p>Alcantara’s statements also prompted Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to order <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/9/23/assets-of-joel-villanueva-jinggoy-zaldy-co-others-ordered-frozen-remulla-1701">freezing</a> their assets.</p><p>Curlee Discaya, meanwhile, revealed that the DPWH Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) itself negotiates the “<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/curlee-discaya-says-dpwh-s-own-committee-negotiates-rigged-biddings-1356">bidding bidding-an</a>” after a contractor buys a project from congressmen.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>ICI</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>On Wednesday, multiple personalities involved in the flood control mess faced the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, including <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/24/ex-dpwh-engineers-alcantara-hernandez-mendoza-face-ici-1059">Alcantara, Hernandez and Mendoza.</a></p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/ici-partners-with-vico-sotto-joy-belmonte-other-groups-1505">ICI partners with Vico Sotto, Joy Belmonte, other groups</a></div><p>Public officials like Sen. <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/25/filipino-h-1b-visa-holders-already-in-us-not-affected-by-new-fees-dfa-0042">Francis Escudero</a>, who allegedly received campaign donations from a government contractor, and former senator <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/poe-visits-ici-denies-involvement-in-small-committee-insertions-1044">Grace Poe</a>, who served as the 19th Congress&#x27; Chair of Senate Committee on Appropriations also showed up at the ICI office.</p><p>Meanwhile, former House Committee on Appropriations chair Zaldy Co remains outside the country despite House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III&#x27;s revocation of his travel clearance, and his <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/24/-zaldy-co-s-son-urges-him-to-come-home-face-allegations-i-am-speaking-out-against-my-father-2319">son&#x27;s call </a>for his return.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><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/Sl1daHU6e7M?&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/CTz8aDj5HNQ?&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/PuW4fbqtbVw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Thursday, Sept. 25, resumed its investigation into the anomalies in the flood control projects.</p>

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Thursday, Sept. 25, resumed its investigation into the anomalies in the flood control projects.

Senate resumes flood control probe in sixth hearing

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Senate resumes flood control probe in sixth hearing

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 25, 2025 09:00 AM PHT

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Senate

Blue Ribbon Committee

Flood control

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