Abalos seeks jail time for those behind substandard Bulacan projects

MANILA, Philippines — Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos called for the imprisonment of those responsible for substandard flood control projects in Bulacan, saying the province had been “severely abused” by projects that failed to protect its communities from flooding.

Acting on direct orders from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Abalos and Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon inspected the severely flooded coastal municipalities of Hagonoy and Paombong on Saturday to assess disaster response and infrastructure conditions.

During the site visit, the officials found that dilapidated and damaged portions of seawalls left Barangays Masukol and Sta. Cruz in Paombong heavily exposed to severe coastal flooding.

Article continues after this advertisement

Some sections of the seawall were easily damaged and could no longer protect residents from strong waves and sea currents.

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

“Masyadong binaboy ang Bulacan. Dapat lamang managot at makulong ang mga gumawa nito (Bulacan has been severely abused. Those responsible should be held accountable and sent to prison),” Abalos said in a statement on Sunday.

“It’s all about transparency and accountability,” he added, as he strongly called for accountability over the compromised flood control projects.

The inspection was coordinated with local officials, including Hagonoy Mayor Charo Sy-Alvarado-Mendoza and Paombong Mayor Mac Marcos, to fast-track targeted national government interventions for the affected communities.

READ: State of calamity up in flood-hit Bulacan

Article continues after this advertisement

The Bulacan provincial board last week placed the province under a state of calamity due to massive floods following weeks of relentless rains brought by the monsoon season.

The local governments of the coastal towns of Calumpit, Hagonoy and Bulakan, which were swamped by up to 1.82 meters (6 feet) of floodwaters, earlier declared a state of calamity in their respective municipalities.

Article continues after this advertisement

Based on the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) transparency portal, six flood control projects have been constructed in Masukol and Sta. Cruz in Paombong since 2018, amounting to more than P424 billion.

Two of these were constructed by Discaya-owned firms, which have been blacklisted by the government: construction of a seawall at Masukol, worth P28 million, awarded to St. Timothy Construction Corp.; and construction of Sta. Cruz-Binakod River revetment by St. Matthew Gen. Contractor and Development Corp., which was also worth P28 million.

A P37.7-million revetment at Masukol by Micharian Builders and Trading should have been constructed by October last year, but according to the DPWH, the project is still at 69 percent completion.

“We cannot stop at simply looking and inspecting. We need to determine why communities keep getting flooded and why some flood-control structures are being damaged or are not functioning properly,” Abalos said.

READ: Hagonoy folk, long suffering from floods, protest vs corruption

According to Abalos, President Marcos’s directive was to ensure that these damaged structures must be repaired immediately and those responsible must be held accountable.

“If a contractor has warranty obligations, they must fulfill them. If there were errors in the design or construction, these must be investigated. And if there was negligence or an anomaly, those responsible must be held accountable,” he said.

According to Dizon, the government plans to compel contractors to rehabilitate the compromised structures under their warranties, ensuring future seawalls are built to correct designs capable of withstanding open-sea waves.

The DPWH also intends to install hexapods in vulnerable areas to counter strong currents and better protect local communities.

Representing President Marcos, Abalos assured residents that Malacañang stands ready to deliver immediate aid and implement long-term structural reforms.

Echoing the call for structural solutions, Dizon said there was an urgent need for a comprehensive master plan to permanently resolve the province’s persistent flooding crisis.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

The DPWH chief was referring to the Pampanga River Basin Master Plan, under which mega dikes will be built to prevent waters from reaching Bulacan, and the proposed Manila Bay Coastal Defense Dike Project. /mcm