Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Flood victims and disaster survivors led by People Surge, the National Alliance of Disaster Survivors, protest in front of the St. Gerrard Construction Company office in Pasig City on Thursday, September 4, 2025. The group demands accountability from contractors, government officials, and politicians linked to the failed P1.35-trillion flood control projects. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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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/1757250124369viber_image_2025-09-04_12-36-16-166.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Flood victims and disaster survivors led by People Surge, the National Alliance of Disaster Survivors, protest in front of the St. Gerrard Construction Company office in Pasig City on Thursday, September 4, 2025. The group demands accountability from contractors, government officials, and politicians linked to the failed P1.35-trillion flood control projects. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The paint and mud on the gate of the St. Gerrard construction firm&#x27;s office in Pasig City had barely dried before officials warned against &quot;violent&quot; protests over alleged corruption in flood control projects found to have been built of substandard materials or not built at all except on paper.</p><p>Probes into the projects had dominated headlines, with lawmakers grilling public works officials and Pacifico and Sarah Discaya, owners of St. Gerrard and who are linked to eight more contracting firms.</p><p>On Sept. 4, activist groups, including Kalikasan and People Surge, <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/4/protesters-hurl-mud-mark-magnanakaw-on-discaya-compound-in-pasig-1247">stormed the St. Gerrard office, threw mud at the gate and spray painted it</a> with slogans.</p><p>Activists also protested at the Department of Public Works and Highways office in Manila and pelted it with rotten vegetables and water balloons.</p><p>Members of Youth Against Kurakot and Akbayan Youth trooped to the St. Gerrard office on Sept. 5, with some of them dressed as ghosts — symbolic of the &#x27;ghost&#x27; projects, they said — and others beating drums to &#x27;exorcise&#x27; corruption.</p><p>&quot;Hindi na pwedeng investigations lang dapat may managot. Kailangan ngayon may mapakulong, may mapanagot na mga public officials, mga pulitiko,&quot; Khylla Meneses, secretary-general of Akbayan Youth, said.</p><p>(Investigations are no longer enough. People should go to jail, public officials, politicians should be held liable.)</p><p>Groups with Bagong Alyansang Makabayan meanwhile marched to the House of Representatives, where there was a clash with police guarding the Batasang Pambansa compound.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/5/youth-groups-hold-ghost-hunting-protest-vs-flood-control-corruption-1309"><strong>Youth groups hold &#x27;ghost hunting&#x27; protest vs flood control corruption</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>MANILA &#x27;WILL NOT TOLERATE MOB RULE&#x27;</strong></div><p>Within hours of the St. Gerrard protest, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, the Discayas&#x27; political rival, called for calm and advised against &quot;[resorting] to violence or acts that could potentially lead to violence or injuries.&quot;</p><p>He said the protest would only put St. Gerrard&#x27;s staff and the activists themselves at risk.</p><p>He added that the city government will help with holding contractors linked to botched projects accountable and is already coordinating with national government agencies.</p><p>&quot;Nararamdaman din namin na bumibilis ang kilos nila ngayon,&quot; he said.</p><p>(We do feel that they are acting more quickly now.)</p><p>Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso of Manila, where the DPWH headquarters is, said activists could protest in designated areas but that police have been instructed to maintain order and protect government property.</p><p>He said only the courts can declare anyone&#x27;s guilt and that he would not &quot;tolerate mob rule in the city.&quot;</p><p>Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. does not want investigations into corruption to lead to chaos.</p><p>&quot;Sinusunod natin ang due process (We follow due process),&quot; she said of a panel that has yet to be created.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/4/marcos-jr-wants-subpoena-powers-for-body-to-probe-flood-control-mess-1513"><strong>Marcos Jr. wants subpoena powers for body to probe flood control mess</strong></a></div><p>The Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board, itself facing allegations of corruption, <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/9/3/9-discaya-firms-lose-licenses-for-bidding-against-each-other-on-projects-1249">has cancelled the licenses of firms linked to the Discayas</a>, but no charges have been filed against the couple.</p><p>The National Capital Region Police Office is meanwhile considering filing complaints over the Pasig protest.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:551px;height:668px;display:block;flex-grow:1" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1963819289322070299&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-09-07T09%3A37%3A25.885131%3Ad04521c8-a987-4383-a628-88c25caee1d1%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=62f98edef0875227189748aff65f429a9b6679af&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" data-tweet-id="1963819289322070299"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>The Quezon City Police District has also promised &quot;appropriate legal actions&quot; against activists for protesting without a permit and &quot;obstructing traffic and causing inconvenience to the public&quot; as well as injuries to officers in a scuffle after protesters threw paint balloons at a replica project billboard they had brought with them.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/6/bayan-says-raps-against-activists-will-not-stop-them-from-protesting-1754"><strong>Bayan says charges against activists will not deter them from protesting</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;OUTRAGE CANNOT WAIT&#x27;</strong></div><p>Akbayan Youth had planned to picket the House hearing on the DPWH budget but, noting it might be postponed, announced the indignation rally would instead be held at the St. Gerrard office because &quot;our outrage cannot wait.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/9/5/dizon-defers-hearing-on-2026-dpwh-budget-pending-sweeping-review-of-items-1427"><strong>Dizon defers presentation of 2026 DPWH budget pending &#x27;sweeping review&#x27;</strong></a></div><p>It was a sentiment that had been floating on social media since <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/8/30/five-things-to-know-about-indonesia-s-deadly-protests-1932">protests against government excesses began in Indonesia</a>, with some users wondering aloud when something similar would happen in the Philippines.</p><p>When protests did start, they were met with concerns for due process and against a supposed descent to mob rule.</p><p>Kalikasan spokesperson Jonila Castro said in front of the Discayas&#x27; office that people cannot be blamed for being angry at the corruption in government and for expressing it. </p><p>&quot;Mas salaula naman po &#x27;yung ginawa nilang pagnanakaw sa mga mamamayan,&quot; she also said.</p><p>(What they have done — stealing from the people — is worse.)</p><p>She acknowledged ongoing probes in Congress but pointed out lawmakers are potentially investigating each other.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/16/wrap-why-it-matters-if-a-party-list-rep-isn-t-from-the-poor-and-marginalized-0129"><strong>Why it matters if a party-list rep isn’t from the poor and marginalized</strong></a></div><p>People Surge, an organization of disaster survivors, has also called the protests justified, saying &quot;hollow words&quot; are useless &quot;while we drown...in decades of systemic corruption, incompetence, and the boundless greed of those in power.&quot;</p><p>Bayan, in a statement, said the threat of criminal complaints reflects a bias in Philippine laws and institutions for the wealthy and for those in power.</p><p>&quot;Authorities are quick to find fault with those who are expressing anger against corruption, but slow to act or have done nothing to pursue accountability against those who stole billions of pesos from public funds,&quot; the group said Saturday.</p><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/1757249650255viber_image_2025-09-05_13-38-42-418.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan stage a protest outside the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Friday, September 5, 2025, as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) presents its proposed 2026 budget before the Committee on Appropriations. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><div><strong>&#x27;PH HAS OWN HISTORY OF FIGHTING CORRUPTION&#x27;</strong></div><p>Asked about comparisons to protests in Jakarta and elsewhere, Bayan Secretary General Mong Palatino told ABS-CBN News that it would be a compliment: &quot;It acknowledges the braveness, militancy, and determination of our activists.&quot;</p><p>He said, however, that activists in the Philippines are not merely copying those in Indonesia, as &quot;we are pursuing our own struggle for democracy based on the actual collective actions of our communities.&quot;</p><p>He said local protests &quot;[recall] our own experience in denouncing corruption and tyranny in society&quot;, including the &quot;Million People March&quot; against pork barrel funds in 2013.</p><p>&quot;We are aware of the continuing legacy and relevance of EDSA People Power in 1986 and 2001,&quot; he also said.</p><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/1757247293599viber_image_2025-09-07_09-40-27-061.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Runners unite in support of the &#x27;Takbo Laban sa Korapsyon&#x27; event in UP Diliman, Sept. 7, 2025. <em>Darylle Sarmiento, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>Not all protests have been confrontational — <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/7/over-1-000-run-in-up-diliman-to-beat-corruption-call-for-accountability-1226">more than 1,000 joining a protest run in UP Diliman</a> on Sunday — and calls for systemic change have not been made exclusively by activists.</p><p>&quot;We express our outrage at government officials, politicontractors, private sector parties–and their family and relatives — who unabashedly flaunt their lavish lifestyles as they steal our hard-earned taxpayer money,&quot; a joint statement signed by more than 100 organizations and institutions, including the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and Makati Business Club, reads.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/6/groups-urge-gov-t-to-replace-system-of-corruption-with-transparency-accountability-1342"><strong>Amid flood control probe, groups urge gov&#x27;t to replace &#x27;system of corruption&#x27; with transparency, accountability</strong></a></div><p>They also demanded that &quot;this corrupt system be replaced with a system of transparency, accountability, and people’s participation.&quot;</p><p>The Catholic Bishops&#x27; Conference of the Philippines has also called for the return of funds lost to corruption, saying many officials and contractors found guilty would still be rich even if that happened &quot;yet the nation remains poor if the funds are not restored.&quot;</p><p>It also made an appeal to the youth as the saga of corruption in flood control projects lurches forward: &quot;Use your platforms not only for outrage, but for vigilance. Expose injustice, share facts, demand reforms. <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/7/cbcp-chief-on-flood-control-projects-make-corruption-shameful-again-0005">Make corruption shameful again.</a>&quot;  <strong>— From reporting by Harlene Delgado, Ched Rick Gatchalian, Izzy Lee, ABS-CBN News</strong></p>

<p>Kalikasan spokesperson Jonila Castro said in front of the Discayas' office that people cannot be blamed for being angry at the corruption in government and for expressing it. "Mas salaula naman po 'yung ginawa nilang pagnanakaw sa mga mamamayan," she also said.</p>

Kalikasan spokesperson Jonila Castro said in front of the Discayas' office that people cannot be blamed for being angry at the corruption in government and for expressing it. "Mas salaula naman po 'yung ginawa nilang pagnanakaw sa mga mamamayan," she also said.

WRAP: Anger over 'ghost' flood control projects overflows onto the streets

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WRAP: Anger over 'ghost' flood control projects overflows onto the streets

Jonathan de Santos,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 07, 2025 10:22 PM PHT

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Updated Sep 07, 2025 10:46 PM PHT

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Flood control projects

Infrastructure projects

Department of Public Works and Highways

St. Gerrard Construction

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