Philippines flood control scam: 25 people slapped with 'non-bailable' graft, corruption charges

Manila: Amid sweeping reforms and a multi-front crackdown on theft of public funds, the Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Thursday (September 11, 2025) has formally filed graft, corruption, and malversation charges against 24 government personnel and contractors.

The 25 people are implicated in the anomalous flood control projects, which DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon characterised as a “massive theft of people's money.”

Secretary Dizon, appointed recently to head the DPWH, has already dismissed Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara, calling the situation “criminal” — highlighting alleged theft amounting to tens of millions of pesos.

About 250 public works officials already got the boot on Monday (September 2) after they were asked to hand in their courtesy resignations as part of the on-going sweep.

Due to their alleged involvement in ghost and substandard flood control projects, charges were filed against 5 individuals from 4 private construction companies:

According to Dizon, these cases are non-bailable and carry a penalty of life imprisonment.

Dizon told local media that accusations extend beyond this case, signalling that more charges will follow through the Office of the Ombudsman.

According to a comprehensive overview of the "tongpats" scandal, Dizon, in the days following his assumption of office, directed all DPWH officials to submit courtesy resignations.

He also ordered the permanent blacklisting of contractors involved in ghost or substandard flood infrastructure, and requested the Department of Justice (DoJ) to issue immigration lookout bulletins against over 20 DPWH officials and contractors linked to the controversy.

These developments underscore a dramatic crackdown on corruption within flood mitigation programmes — one that is unfolding across legal, administrative, and institutional domains in the country.

At the heart of it were the Discayas — Sarah and Curlee, owners of 9 construction companies.

In explosive Senate hearings, they had spilled names: congressmen and their chiefs-of-staff offering "funded projects," district engineers demanding cuts, and regional directors splitting the loot.

Their revelations pointed to a syndicate where politicians pocketed up to 30% of project costs, leaving Filipinos to wade through knee-deep floods.

Marathon and parallel hearings (in aid of legislation) are also being conducted in both the 313-member House of Representatives and the 24-member Senate.

Explosive testimonies from resource persons — contractors and engineers — have implicated members of the Senate and Congress in the alleged $9.6-billion flood control scam.

The probes have opened a Pandora’s Box of tales of systematic and institutionalised theft of public funds that line the pockets of certain legislators, government engineers and contractors.

Media reports are now zeroing in on the tangled nexus linking lawmakers, private contractors, and government engineers — a triangle of power and ill-gotten wealth behind the Philippines’ substandard infrastructure.

Behind every cracked road, flood/soil erosion project, or any government infrastructure, investigators suggest, is a paper trail of padded budgets, rigged bids, and kickbacks.

The picture emerging isn’t just one of negligence, but of an entrenched system where public funds are siphoned off long before a single cement bag is poured.

For ordinary Filipinos, the scandal fuels growing anger: billions meant for public works, climate-resilience, schools, hospitals projects have instead paved the way for shortcuts, shoddy materials, and quick political paydays.