Marcos to disown allies engaged in anomalous deals

MANILA, Philippines — Administration allies found to be involved in anomalies that resulted in substandard public works projects would not be spared in the probe seeking to expose and file charges against corrupt officials, President Marcos said.

In a podcast interview aired yesterday, Marcos said the performance audit would cover not just problematic flood control projects, but other possible sources of kickbacks.

The President vowed to launch an investigation into the irregularities surrounding flood control projects during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last month, saying those behind the corrupt practices should be ashamed for causing suffering to communities hit by recent cyclones.

“It (probe) has to be evenly applied. We cannot just audit here or find people who should be held into account here. It should cover whoever is involved in these kinds of works,” the President said in the podcast interview.

When asked about the possibility that his allies are among those who benefited from the questionable projects, Marcos replied: “I am sorry. You are no longer my ally if you are doing that. I don’t want you as an ally.”

DPWH won’t conduct probe

Marcos said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) would not conduct the probe, although the agency was asked to provide a list of projects to be audited. He did not identify the entity that will conduct the investigation, which will pave the way for the filing of charges against erring government personnel.

“It is not really the DPWH... We just obtained the list (of projects). The important thing that emerged during our discussions is we will make it public,” the Chief Executive said.

“The people will know. People from barangay 1,2,3 will say that it is in our area and we did not do anything like that. They will then report it. So, that applies to anything, to all of the projects that will happen. I’m sure many will report (anomalies),” he added.

Some contractors already identified

Marcos revealed that the government already has some of the names of contractors who have a record of doing substandard projects.

“We will put them on a blacklist. They can no longer secure contracts with the government,” he said.

“We will file charges against all of them. We will ask, ‘Where did the funds go?’ If they cannot explain it properly, we will have to take it to the next step.”

According to Marcos, he saw the consequences of the subpar public works projects during his inspections in areas battered by cyclones. The President lamented that “usual excuses” were offered for the problems, including the failure to accomplish structures designed for calamity response.

“I said this is nonsense. It is clear that the work was not finished. And then you go to the evacuation center, you will see that the people there are packed, especially the children who sleep on the cemented floor in the gym. Diseases can spread easily,” Marcos said. “We should not be doing this to our countrymen. It is a sin.”

Marcos did not name names when asked whom he was referring to when he assailed those who earned kickbacks from substandard or ghost projects during one of the most applauded parts of his SONA.

“They know who they are. Some of them are really notorious. This has been the practice for a long time,” the Chief Executive said.

“I’m sorry but they will have to account for their actions and they will have to account for the expenditures that they have made, but whose results we have yet to see.”

Marcos noted that the problem cannot be fixed without knowing who to blame for it.

“For us to fix the problem, we have to know what happened, and where did it go wrong, and who should be held to account,” he said.

“Someone should be held to account because of the sufferings being experienced by our countrymen. They have to be told who is responsible and somebody has to answer for their suffering,” he added.

Earlier studies estimated that around 20 percent of the annual appropriation of the Philippine government goes to corruption.

About P346 billion was allocated for flood control projects in this year’s national budget.

SubayBAYAN

In line with the administration’s anti-corruption drive, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) urged the public to use its SubayBAYAN web platform to monitor ongoing infrastructure projects in their respective barangays, towns and cities.

With a built-in feedback system and full audit trail, SubayBAYAN allows users to report issues, monitor implementation and promote citizen involvement in governance.

The SubayBAYAN platform provides real-time, accessible data on more than 80,000 projects funded through the Local Government Support Fund, Support to Barangay Development Program, Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces and LGU initiatives.

The platform features key project details including location, implementing LGU or agency, budget, timelines, contractor, physical and financial progress, site photos and geotagging.

In 2024, the department’s Office of Project Development Services trained regional offices to strengthen SubayBAYAN’s use not just as a monitoring tool, but as a platform for participatory and accountable local governance.

At present, it tracks over 34,000 LGU-funded and 50,000 nationally funded projects such as roads, bridges, water systems, multipurpose buildings and evacuation centers.

The DILG is urging the public to visit https://subaybayan.dilg.gov.ph and take an active role in ensuring that every peso spent truly benefits the people. — Rainier Allan Ronda