President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday rejected allegations linking him to the alleged anomalies in government flood control projects, insisting that his administration was the first to expose and investigate the long-standing corruption surrounding the program.
Responding to criticisms that he was behind the alleged irregularities, Marcos said it was his administration that initiated the investigations and pushed for accountability.
"Kung hindi ko sinabi yung sinabi ko sa SONA, wala tayong pinag-uusapan na ganito. I am the one who exposed all of this, and I am the only one who has started to do anything about this," the President said during "Kahipan with the Media."
"Tapos sasabihin na ako ang may kagagawan. Kung talagang raket ko 'yun, bakit ko sisirain 'yung raket ko? That makes absolutely no sense," he added.
Marcos said the government's probe into questionable flood control projects remains ongoing, noting that investigators continue to uncover more irregularities as they dig deeper.
According to the President, the pattern of alleged corruption could be traced as far back as 2017 and 2018. He recalled that then-House Minority Floor Leader Rolando "Nonoy" Andaya Jr. had earlier exposed what he described as more than P300 billion worth of questionable flood control projects.
Marcos also pointed out that then-President Rodrigo Duterte had acknowledged problems involving flood control projects during his term but said no officials were ultimately held accountable.
"Having acknowledged it, he did not find accountability in anybody. So I guess that was left up to me to do," Marcos said.
The President described the alleged anomalies as part of a "deep-seated system of corruption" that extends beyond infrastructure projects, saying reforms must go beyond investigations and include changes in government systems and work culture.
He criticized the long-standing practice of officials allegedly receiving "rebates" or kickbacks from government projects.
"Rebate, kickback 'yan. Wala nang ibang tunay na salita, kickback 'yan," Marcos said, adding that some officials had come to view such practices as normal.
Marcos said his administration has already taken steps to address the issue, including the creation of an Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) tasked with investigating the alleged anomalies.
"We formed the independent commission. We'll just follow the evidence and we'll continue to do that," he said.
The President maintained that the investigations will continue regardless of who may be implicated, stressing that the government's focus is to establish accountability based on evidence.
The issue surrounding flood control projects gained national attention Marcos, during his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA), challenged government officials and contractors to be transparent and take full accountability for the implementation of flood control projects in their respective communities.
Among those detained is former senator Bong Revilla, who surrendered to authorities in January 2026 after the Sandiganbayan issued an arrest warrant over the alleged ghost flood control project in Bulacan.
President Marcos also announced that seven other suspects had been arrested in the first batch of cases involving alleged anomalies in flood control projects.
Authorities have likewise filed graft and malversation charges against Zaldy Co, while 20 officials and personnel from the DPWH Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office and representatives of six construction firms—St. Timothy Construction, Wawao Builders, SYMS Construction Trading, IM Construction Corp., Topnotch Catalyst Builders, and One Frame Construction—have also been charged in connection with the alleged irregularities.
In addition, several former DPWH officials have been recommended for criminal and administrative prosecution over ghost and substandard flood control projects.
Other politicians, including Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, Martin Romualdez, Francis Escudero, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, and Mark Villar, have been mentioned during investigations or by whistleblowers, although not all have been formally charged or convicted.
