A protester throws green mussels during an anti-corruption rally outside the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways in Navotas, Metro Manila on September 8, 2025. Philippine construction firms paid off 17 lawmakers to secure government contracts, their owners claimed on September 8 at a hearing on graft in flood control projects. - AFP
MANILA: The Philippines’ probe into the misuse of public funds for flood control projects could uncover trillions of pesos in losses, according to Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, highlighting the extent of corruption that has fanned public outrage in the disaster-prone nation.
A commission created by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been mandated to cover the last 10 years as it investigates how much was allegedly stolen from government funds for flood projects, Dizon told a Senate hearing on Thursday (Sept 18), adding that the amount would be sizable.
