OpinionOpinion: Arrests Alone Won’t Fix What Broke in Flood Control Spending
High-profile charges are a start, but lasting reform requires fixing the procurement and verification systems that let ghost projects happen in the first place.
#Corruption
Opinion
Fact CheckFact Check: How Many Flagged Flood Control Projects Are Actually "Ghost" Projects?
Only 14 of 421 flood control projects flagged for review have so far been confirmed as nonexistent by the Department of Justice — not all 421, despite some public claims.
TechnologyFalsified Project Coordinates Raise Questions Over Flood Control Verification
Senate investigators allege inaccurate GPS coordinates were submitted for thousands of flood control projects, undermining the geotagging system meant to verify they were actually built.
BusinessHandful of Contractors Cornered Billions in Flood Control Contracts, Audit Finds
An initial government audit found that just 15 contractors received about 20% of the ₱545 billion spent on flood control projects between mid-2022 and mid-2025.
RegionsBulacan Towns at Center of Ghost Flood Control Project Investigation
Calumpit, Hagonoy, and Malolos in Bulacan have emerged as focal points in the flood control ghost-project investigation, with one contractor linked to ₱9 billion in nationwide awards.
EconomyWorld Bank Cuts Philippine Growth Forecast Amid Flood Control Corruption Fallout
The World Bank lowered its 2026 Philippine growth forecast to 3.7% from 5.3%, citing weaker investor confidence tied to the ongoing flood control corruption cleanup.
NationFlood Control Failures Draw Scrutiny After Deadly Typhoon Kalmaegi
Typhoon Kalmaegi’s deadly flooding in the Visayas renewed public attention on substandard flood control projects, with local officials saying better infrastructure could have reduced the toll.
GovernmentDOJ Confirms 14 of 421 Flagged Flood Control Projects Do Not Exist
The Department of Justice says 14 of 421 flood control projects flagged for review have been confirmed as "ghost projects" that were never built, with cases already filed over two of them.
PoliticsFormer House Speaker Romualdez Charged With Plunder Over Flood Control Kickbacks
Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin of President Marcos Jr., faces plunder charges at the Sandiganbayan over an alleged ₱7.4 billion flood control kickback scheme.