Paombong execs seek ICI help in infra probe
Fed up with persistent flooding in their town, the municipal council of Paombong in Bulacan province also wants the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to also look into the public infrastructure projects there.
The council, through its secretary, lawyer Isay Nunag, on Thursday turned over to the ICI pieces of evidence identifying P700-million worth of flood mitigation works from 2022 to 2025 as being nonexistent or “ghost” projects. Documents related to about 10 allegedly anomalous projects were the bases of the “request letter” that Paombong council representatives delivered to the ICI.
“We asked for assistance from the ICI to be able to respond to our problems and also to help us be enlightened about the state of flood control [in our town],” Nunag said in an interview with reporters after submitting the local government’s records to the fact-finding body.
“There were flood control projects that were nonexistent … This is to [shed light] on the issue … You don’t hear much about our municipality when it comes to the flood control issues,” she said.
Among the evidence that the council, led by Vice Mayor JC Castro, filed were findings from site inspections as well as local government and barangay reports that showed that the flagged projects had not been not properly coordinated between government and private contractors.
Nunag, however, declined to name the contractors or construction firms found to be purportedly involved in the questionable projects, but she said that their findings were based as well from the Sumbong sa Pangulo website.
The same documents will also be submitted to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Nunag said.
Sept. 21 protest
The controversy surrounding these projects sparked public outcry when nearly 1,000 residents, mostly young professionals and students, staged the “Tindig Paombong” protest rally outside the town plaza on Sept. 21.
The protest was prompted by the discovery of more than P500 million in flood control projects that appeared to have been fraudulent, covering 11 projects across 14 barangays.
Former Vice Mayor Cristina Gonzales told the Inquirer on Thursday that the flood control structures were ineffective, particularly in Barangay Sto. Rosario, where floodwaters can rise up to 1.21 meters (4 feet).
According to Nunag, flooding is common in Paombong, with some parts of the town still submerged even after rains had stopped.
Paombong, a second-class municipality (average annual regular income of P160 million to less than P200 million), is also covered by the first district of Bulacan, where dismissed engineers of DPWH Henry Alcantara and Brice Hernandez allegedly took control of anomalous infrastructure projects and colluded with lawmakers to pocket chunks of the funds.
