Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is getting tough on contractors who are linked to fishy or corrupt deals in government projects, especially after big problems came out in the country’s flood control projects.
He said he and his legal team are now studying the idea of putting a “special rule” that would stop these questionable contractors from joining any new government projects—at least for now.
Gatchalian explained it like this:
👉 If a contractor is already facing a case or has been involved in anomalies (even if there’s no court decision yet), they should be banned temporarily from joining all government projects—not just those under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The senator stressed that if nothing is done, the same bad contractors will keep winning contracts and wasting public money because they know no one is watching closely.
The Flood Control Budget Scandal
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier revealed something shocking:
🔴 Out of the ₱545 billion flood control budget, 20% went to only 15 contractors.
This means a huge chunk of taxpayers’ money may have been controlled by a small group of contractors.
Gatchalian said that with only a few months left before the new year, it’s unlikely that cases will be filed or anyone will go to jail soon. That’s why he wants this special rule now—so these contractors won’t grab more contracts while investigations are still ongoing.
He even warned before that if DPWH cannot fix its corrupt system, he might push to remove the flood control budget entirely for next year. For 2026, the budget for flood control projects is set at ₱274.926 billion.
Pressure on DPWH Chief
Gatchalian also turned his attention to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan. He said Bonoan must make sure there are no ghost projects in 2026—meaning projects that get money but never get built.
He added that Bonoan should carefully review all projects to make sure they are useful and effective.
The senator even suggested before that Bonoan should step down out of delicadeza (sense of honor). But Bonoan said he will leave the decision to President Marcos.
Other Lawmakers Speak Up
House Infrastructure Committee Co-Chair, Rep. Terry Ridon, agreed with Gatchalian about holding corrupt contractors accountable.
But he warned that the process should be studied carefully because banning them without a full and proper case disposition might be unfair.
Still, Ridon was tough on “ghost project” contractors. He said:
👉 If a contractor abandoned a project, they should never be allowed to join government projects again.
👉 Even the whole management team of a blacklisted company should be banned—even if they try to make a new company under a different name.
He even said these corrupt contractors deserve “capital punishment” for robbing people of important infrastructure projects.
💥 In short: Gatchalian wants a strong rule to block shady contractors, Marcos revealed billions going to just a few hands, DPWH is under fire to prove projects are real, and other lawmakers are calling for lifetime bans on corrupt builders.
