The Philippine Daily Star reported that the corruption case in the flood control projects in the Philippines has been a focal issue in society in recent days.
On Friday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines asked the construction contractors to explain why the river protection structure in Bulusan, Bulacan, which was supposed to be completed and repaired, had not been finished.
After visiting the project site in Barangay Bulusan, President Marcos found that the structure was still incomplete, contrary to official records, and hoped for a response from the construction company St. Timothy Construction Corp.
St. Timothy is one of the three main contractors that have obtained most of the government's flood control projects. It won a contract worth 96.4 million pesos to repair the river protection structure in Bulusan.
According to the documents, this contract was awarded to St. Timothy on February 18, 2022, and the project was originally scheduled to be completed on February 12, 2023.
"We have photos, and even divers who checked the bottom. And they confirmed that the cement was very thin and uneven. This work is clearly substandard. It was doomed to fail and has already collapsed. So, they must answer why this happened," Marcos said to reporters in Filipino.
"What possible excuse do they have for not doing it? I can't imagine. Moreover, all flood control projects include dredging and desilting. But what was told to me? They have never seen any dredging work done here. This is part of the contract," he added.
The president also expressed frustration over parts of Bulusan, Bulacan becoming "swamps" because the floods caused by the monsoon rains three weeks ago have not yet receded.
Corruption in the construction industry has become a relatively serious issue in Philippine society.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1840571278799884/
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