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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Cebu flood control projects should be next for ICI, says Ridon

Cebu flood control projects should be next for ICI, says Ridon

Published Nov 5, 2025 04:43 pm

At A Glance

  • Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon asked on Wednesday, Nov. 5 the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to take a look at the government-funded flood control projects in Cebu, many parts of which was left submerged in floodwater after Typhoon "Tino" plowed the Visayas.
Massive floods in Bacayan, Cebu City (Pobreng Laagan's Facebook page)
Massive floods in Bacayan, Cebu City (Pobreng Laagan's Facebook page)


Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon asked on Wednesday, Nov. 5 the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to take a look at the government-funded flood control projects in Cebu, many parts of which was left submerged in floodwater after Typhoon "Tino" plowed the Visayas.
Ridon, chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, said in a press briefing that he wants the ICI to  check out QM Builders and the flood mitigation projects awarded to it.
"[We have] been very concerned about the state of flood control in their area," he said.
Just hours after Tino made landfall Tuesday on the country's central islands, shocking videos of flash floods in Cebu City and elsewhere in the province made rounds on social media.
So massive were the floods that entire neighborhoods were inundated in coffee-colored water, with the vehicles of the hapless residents turned into useless flotilla.
According to Ridon, the ICI--which was tasked by President Marcos to serve as special investigator of sorts in the flood control projects corruption scandal--should display the same dedication in inspecting the projects in Cebu compared to when it was doing the same in Bulacan.
A good number of the high-profile anomalous and "ghost" flood mitigation projects were based in Bulacan in Luzon.
QM Builders is one of the top 15 contractors of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) under the Marcos administration in terms or awarded contracts.
The construction firm became especially controversial when Senator Sherwin Gatchalian bared in a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing last Aug. 19 that it secured ₱7.3 billion worth of DPWH contracts despite it having zero income from 2015 to 2024, according to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) records.
Moreover, QM Builders posted annual net losses ranging from ₱35 million to ₱81 million, on a paid-up capital of just ₱1.2 million.
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