Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada warned that the alleged ghost projects in Bulacan may only be a small part of a bigger web of anomalies in the massive flood control projects across the country.
“Tip of the iceberg lang ito. Marami pa tayong madidiskubre sa susunod na hearings,” Estrada said, adding that he does not discount the involvement of state auditors in turning a blind eye in uncovering the non-existent projects.
The Senate leader emphasized that while the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is primarily responsible for monitoring its own projects, there must be a stronger coordination with the Commission on Audit (COA) to ensure that public funds are not wasted on fraudulent undertakings.
“Ang problema sa COA, post-audit kasi ang ginagawa nila. Pero sa tingin ko, habang ongoing ang project, pwede nilang tingnan kung talagang merong ginagawa na project o wala. Pwede rin silang kasabwat sa mga anomalyang ito,” Estrada said in various radio interviews Wednesday morning.
Estrada said that ongoing investigations, not only in the Senate, should not be limited to Bulacan but should cover other provinces, especially those that supposedly received funding despite not being known to be flood-prone areas.
“Hindi lang ito nangyayari sa Bulacan. Dapat imbestigahan din natin yung mga lugar na nabagsakan ng pondo na hindi naman flood-prone. Sa tingin ko maraming ganito,” the veteran lawmaker said.
When asked about the possible involvement of elected officials in the anomalous projects, Estrada did not discount this possibility saying that contractors hold the key and could name names.
“Hindi malayo. Pwede namang sabihin ng mga contractor kung sino yung binibigyan nilang politiko,” he said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier disclosed that there are more than 9,000 flood control projects nationwide. Estrada said this sheer number underscores the urgency of a comprehensive audit to uncover the extent of irregularities.
“Dapat talagang maimbestigahan ito ng anumang investigating body, lalo na ang mga probinsya na nakatanggap ng pondo kahit hindi naman binabaha,” Estrada reiterated.
The Senate is expected to conduct more hearings in the coming weeks to uncover the full extent of these alleged anomalies.