At least 67 members of the House of Representatives allegedly acted as contractors for their own government-funded infrastructure projects in 2022, according to Senator Panfilo Lacson.
During a radio interview, Lacson mentioned a conversation he had with a fellow lawmaker at the start of the 19th Congress, where it was revealed to him that 67 congressmen owned construction businesses and secured contracts for projects they themselves funded.
“In 2022, at the beginning of the new Congress, I asked a congressman friend of mine out of curiosity since the session had just opened. I asked him, ‘How many contractors are there in Batasan?’ He told me, ‘The last count I had was 67. But I know there are more,'” Lacson said.
“So there were already 67 back then, as of three years ago. Maybe now, others have been encouraged—’Let’s just become contractors.’ Or they let relatives handle their construction companies to avoid scrutiny,” he added.
Lacson disclosed this as part of his call for an audit or review of flood control funds, particularly those inserted during the bicameral conference deliberations for the 2025 national budget.
According to Lacson, flood control projects are a major source of corruption, especially dredging or excavation projects, where kickbacks can reach up to 50% of the project’s total cost.
“Someone told me a story from before—they said there were 50 projects simultaneously, each worth P50 million in one area. If you add it up, that’s P2.5 billion right away. But locals noticed only one backhoe being moved around, pretending to dig. Then it would move to the next site,” Lacson said.
“Imagine, 50 projects, and only one backhoe was being used. If they were lucky, they might have spent P500 million. But with P2.5 billion allocated, that means P2 billion was instantly pocketed,” he added.
