Cayetano decries delay in flood control corruption probe

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has expressed frustration over what he described as continued inaction in the investigation of alleged corruption in flood control projects — three months after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued a stern warning to erring officials.

“Sa October 25, third month na ng speech (State of the Nation Address) ng Pangulo na ‘Mahiya naman kayo’. Kung hindi ako nagkakamali, n’ung last week ng August, nag-resign na rin si Public Works Secretary Manny Bonoan. Magaling si (current Public Works) Secretary Vince Dizon. May integrity at mabilis kumilos. But still, isang buwan na, (wala pang naging accountable),” Cayetano said in a radio interview on Tuesday, October 8, 2025.

(“By October 25, it will be the third month since the President’s SONA when he said ‘Have some shame.’ If I’m not mistaken, Public Works Secretary Manny Bonoan resigned in the last week of August. Secretary Vince Dizon is good, he has integrity and works fast. But still, a month has passed and no one has been held accountable,” he said.)

The senator urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Commission on Audit (COA) to release verified lists of completed and fully paid flood control projects, emphasizing the need to identify “ghost” or non-existent projects allegedly funded by public money.

“Listahan lang kung ano y’ung ghost o hindi (ang kailangan), tapos maririnig mo ang balita na sinusunog o tinatapon, o iba na y’ung mga dokumento. Eh baka ang iba diyan na ghost ay hindi na ghost (projects)? May nabalitaan tayo na may isang project pero kung kailan pa na ginawa. Ang problema, hindi pa pina-publish ngayon, whether iyon ay bayad na o hindi pa,” he said.

(“All that’s needed is a list of which projects are real and which are ‘ghosts,’ but now we’re hearing reports that documents are being burned, thrown away, or altered. Some projects labeled as ‘ghosts’ might not actually be. We heard about one that was built much later. The problem is, there’s still no publication showing whether these projects were already paid for or not,” he explained.)

Cayetano proposed that the DPWH and COA begin publishing all paid project records starting from the most recent years.

“Ako simple lang, COA at DPWH, mag-publish kayo ngayon ng lahat ng bayad (na proyekto). Simulan niyo sa 2025. Ang problema napupulitika kasi gusto simulan ng 2016… Hindi tayo matatapos noon. First things first muna – 2024 at 2025 kasi iyon ang pinaka-recent. Kapag iyan nilabas agad ang pondo at ghost projects, huli agad iyan. Kakanta na agad iyan,” he said.

(“It’s simple — COA and DPWH should publish all the paid projects now. Start with 2025. The problem is it’s getting politicized because some want to start with 2016 — that will take forever. First things first: focus on 2024 and 2025 since they’re the most recent. Once those records are released, the funds and ghost projects will be exposed immediately,” he said.)

Drawing an analogy, the senator likened the corruption scheme to a “beehive,” stressing the need to catch the “queen bee” or mastermind rather than focusing solely on minor participants.

“Hindi ito palakihan ng isda eh. Parang beehive ito. Kailangan kunin ang queen bee, manganganak at manganganak lang iyan. Syempre ang temptation is senador (ang idawit) kasi mataas iyan, pero mastermind ba iyan? You get the masterminds kasi iyan ang mga queen bee,” Cayetano said.

(“This isn’t about catching the biggest fish. It’s like a beehive — you have to get the queen bee because it keeps producing more. Of course, the temptation is to implicate senators because they’re high-profile, but are they really the masterminds? You need to get the masterminds — they are the queen bees,” he said.)

He also criticized the absence of a structured investigative framework, saying discussions about potential state witnesses are premature without a clear working theory.

“Away na ng away sino ang pwedeng state witness, eh wala pang working theory. Paano malalaman kung sino ang most guilty and least guilty kung hindi mo pa alam ano ang sistema? Kasi may normal na korapsyon dito, at may isinama dito sa bagong sistema. Ginugulo na,” he said.

(“There’s already debate about who can be a state witness, but there’s still no working theory. How can you determine who is most guilty or least guilty if you don’t even understand the system? There’s regular corruption here, but it’s now being mixed with a new kind of system — it’s becoming chaotic,” he said.)

Cayetano concluded by urging authorities to act swiftly to restore public confidence, warning that public frustration and distrust are growing.

“Ang kalaban natin ngayon ay fear — fear na baka walang mahuli, na lalong grumabe ito, na mamundok mga anak natin kasi wala namang nangyayari. Kalaban natin ay galit ng tao. Pero ang pinakamalaking kalaban natin dito ay kawalan ng tiwala ng tao,” he said. “Puhunan natin ang tiwala ng tao.”

(“Our enemy now is fear — fear that no one will be caught, that things will worsen, that our children might lose faith because nothing’s happening. Our enemies are also public anger and, most of all, the people’s loss of trust. Our greatest capital is the trust of the people,” he concluded.)