Marcos: Explain ‘sloppy’ dike rehab in Bulacan
President Marcos on Friday was visibly piqued as he demanded accountability from a major construction company and officials responsible for a botched P96.4-million dike rehabilitation project in the perennially flooded town of Calumpit in Bulacan province.
On his second field trip to inspect flood mitigation infrastructure since he disclosed early this week a list of private contractors that had cornered billions of pesos worth of flood control projects around the country, Mr. Marcos saw for himself the crumbling concrete embankment on a part of the Pampanga River in Calumpit’s Barangay Bulusan.
The President said the company, St. Timothy Construction Corp., would be made to answer for the severely damaged riverside flood barrier after the company and some officials reported that the project had been completed.
“It cannot be like this! Unbelievable! This has been going on for years,” said Mr. Marcos, expressing frustration and disappointment.
‘Irregular and sloppy’
“Nothing was really installed, but if you look at our report, it says this should have already been completed,” he said, adding that the company and officials who had signed off on the report would also be held to account.
“St. Timothy is the contractor here, so we’ll look into this,” he said. “We need to hold them accountable and ask why they did it this way.”
“It would be better,” he added, “if they came here themselves to see the hardship they’ve caused our fellow citizens.”
According to the President, the divers he sent to inspect the underwater portions of the concrete works found “really irregular and sloppy” construction.
Upon tactile inspection, the divers found that the beam was no longer connected to any sheet pile support.
There was also a clear gap between the beam and sheet pile, which should have been tightly joined to ensure structural integrity.
“This dike was made very poorly with holes and uneven sheet piles—that’s why the dike collapsed,” Marcos said.
What’s more, he said, there was no dredging and desilting done on the river bed that were supposed to accompany all flood control projects.
Flooded on sunny day
“How can that be considered completed?” he told reporters. “Look, there’s an island in the middle, already overgrown with grass. It’s already dense with vegetation, which means they haven’t dredged in a long time, even though their report says they did.”
“They shouldn’t be accountable to me; they should be accountable to the people here for the hardships they have brought into their lives,” he added.
It was a sunny afternoon, yet the President saw streets under water and was greeted by some residents wearing rubber boots as protection against the filthy stagnant water and mud.
Mr. Marcos was dismayed that parts of the barangay remained flooded from rains three weeks earlier, describing the area as a “swamp.”
Bulacan ranks first among all the provinces in the country in the number of flood control projects, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Governor’s lament
Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando said that despite the more than 600 flood control projects in his province, many towns remained submerged after the recent storms.
He spoke at the Bulacan’s Hiyas Pavilion during ceremonies marking the province’s 477th founding anniversary.
In an interview, Fernando admitted he was unaware of the scale of these projects before the President’s disclosure.
“I was shocked. My head ached,” he said.
According to data gathered by the Inquirer, the Sumbong sa Pangulo website indicated that the river protection rehabilitation project in Bulusan was completed in February 2023. The DPWH-Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office’s post-contract award disclosures reported that the project was awarded in February 2022.
Last Monday, Mr. Marcos revealed the initial findings of the government’s assessment of flood control projects under his administration.
Vico’s findings
Later that day, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto disclosed that St. Timothy was one of the two, among the top 15 construction companies that cornered the bulk of these projects, “owned and controlled” by the family of his former political rival, Sarah Discaya.
The Inquirer sought comments from the company and its CEO Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II, Sarah Discaya’s husband, but has yet to receive a response as of writing.
One resident from Barangay Frances adjacent to Bulusan that was also visited by the President on Friday wrote him a letter to express concern about the condition of another rehabilitated flood-control structure in their community.
“My neighbors told me that some parts of the dike were just filled with water lilies, so once those rot, the dike will surely become hollow and weak,” read the letter shared by the Presidential Communications Office, which blurred the name of the letter writer.
“The flooding here in our area lasts for 1 to 3 or even 4 months,” it said. “It hasn’t even been a year, but I already told the inspectors that the dike had many cracks, yet no action was taken.”
Unfinished flyover
On Wednesday, the President inspected the unfinished Anganan Flyover in Pavia town, Iloilo, and the ongoing flood control project in the neighboring Jaro district of Iloilo City.
Flaws were reportedly found in the flyover’s original design and in the survey for the foundation’s depth, thus the suspension of its construction.
“During my visit to Iloilo, we saw the delayed and faulty flood control projects that are worsening the flooding,” he said, adding that he had ordered the DPWH to hold the “incompetent contractors” accountable and to blacklist them.
Mr. Marcos encouraged local residents of Calumpit, including Bulusan Barangay Chair Danilo Marin, not to hesitate to post reports of irregularities on his website Sumbong sa Pangulo. —WITH REPORTS FROM CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE AND INQUIRER RESEARCH
