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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lacson: Final test on corrupted flood control projects is certainty of punishment

Lacson: Final test on corrupted flood control projects is certainty of punishment

Published Aug 24, 2025 03:23 pm

At A Glance

  • Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson says the final test still looms ahead and it lies in the certainty of punishment—prosecution, conviction and imprisonment—against all those involved, especially the so-called big fish.
SENATOR PANFILO "PING" M. LACSON
SENATOR PANFILO "PING" M. LACSON


Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Sunday, August 24 expressed the belief that the final test on corrupted flood control projects lies in the certainty of punishment.

SENATOR PANFILO M. LACSON
SENATOR PANFILO M. LACSON

Lacson said that while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) and the launching of the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website sparked public involvement against substandard and ghost flood control projects, the final test still looms ahead and it lies in the certainty of punishment—prosecution, conviction and imprisonment—against all those involved, especially the so-called big fish.

“It took the 4th SONA of the President, followed by the launching of (the) sumbongsapangulo.ph website to get the nation involved in monitoring and reporting substandard and ghost flood control projects all over the country,” Lacson said in a post on X.

“The final test lies in the 'logical conclusion,'" he further said.

https://x.com/iampinglacson/status/1959437201424670889

Lacson, a former national police chief, stressed that without the certainty of punishment,  corruption will continue, along with the loss of lives and taxpayers' hard-earned money.

“I hope there will be big fish that will be charged, prosecuted, convicted and jailed so their example will not be followed,” he said in Filipino.

“In my law enforcement days, this was called certainty of punishment. If there is no accountability or certainty of punishment, those involved in corruption will be emboldened to continue - and those who are not may be encouraged to engage in it,” he further said.

During his SONA last July 28, the President expressed dismay over the substandard and ghost flood control projects that not only cost trillions of pesos in taxpayers' money, but also lives and property.

Last Aug. 20, Lacson delivered a privilege speech where he detailed the extent of corruption that marred several flood control projects, citing that more than P1.9 trillion was allocated to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) alone for flood control projects since 2011.

Despite such huge funding, the senator noted that the problem of flooding still persists and the P1.9 million may have been lost to corruption.

Related Tags

ping lacson flood control DPWH
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