In La Union, 'prop' pipes used in P179.4M ghost flood control project
MANILA, Philippines — Prop pipes, not measuring past an arm’s length, were used to disguise a P179.4 million ghost flood control project in La Union.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon and Baguio City Mayor and Independent Commission for Infrastructure adviser Benjie Magalong went to Bauang, La Union on Tuesday, September 16 to inspect a project, only to find substandard materials being used.
“Props lang!” Dizon exclaimed during the inspection. (It’s just props!)
A series of pipes could be seen installed on the riverwall, making it seem like there were long pipes burrowed deep into the ground for flood mitigation.
But officials were quick to see some of them already being worn down, revealing that the pipes were very short and barely stuck to the wall.
Aside from the prop pipes, the metal wires used to build the walls were also substandard.
Magalong could be seen detaching one of the short pipes.
The flood control structures the two inspected were Packages 5 and 6 at the Bauang River Basin. Both packages cost P89.7 million each, amounting to around P179.4 million.
Despite the poor quality, both projects have been marked completed as of March 2025 under the administration of former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
Their contractors were listed as a certain Silverwolves Construction Corp.
Lawmakers have earlier flagged that projects being separated into packages in the national budget are likely a red flag for corruption, especially if they had similar price points.
Silverwolves Construction Corp. is not one of the top contractors in the country named by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. However, current Senate Blue Ribbon Chair Ping Lacson identified the firm as one of the contractors who colluded with lawmakers for kickback schemes in flood control projects.
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