The House of Representatives’ “tricommittee” begins today its own inquiry into questionable flood control projects, with the objective of “completing the story” behind those deemed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as “ghost” and substandard projects.

Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, chair of the House committee on public accounts, said he and his colleagues would start with the projects recently visited by the President in Bulacan, one of the country’s most flood-prone provinces.

The tricommittee also includes the committees on public works and highways and on good government and public accountability chaired respectively by Surigao del Sur Rep. Romeo Momo and Manila Rep. Joel Chua.

“[Our inquiry] will be evidence-based. We will go on a project-to-project basis [and the first would be] what the President actually already inspected,” Ridon told CoverStory in a phone interview on Monday.

Last month, Mr. Marcos inspected a ₱55.73-million flood control project in Baliwag, Bulacan, that was deemed “completed” in June but turned out to be an abandoned construction site with no work done. He said this was an example of a “ghost” project. He also inspected a river dike in Calumpit that had been rehabilitated less than three years ago for over ₱96 million but was found to be damaged and rendered useless.

The President expressed anger during the two visits and said all the officials who had authorized and conspired in the “ghost” or “faulty” infrastructure projects would be suspended and charged with graft, malversation of public funds, and falsification of public documents. He also said that for big anomalous projects, the government may charge those responsible with economic sabotage.

In its own inquiry, the Senate blue ribbon committee has conducted two hearings on the flood control projects cited by the President and has invited contractors and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials to testify on their implementation.

Ridon said the tricommittee has gathered documents on the bidding and implementation of the two projects in Bulacan and hopes that the DPWH would be able to confirm the validity of the papers.

He said these “relevant documents” would show “the personalities involved, the trail of the supposed project implementation, on whether there is a project or not.”

He added: “We want to complete the story on record and recommend immediately the filing of charges against those behind these projects.” 

According to Ridon, everyone involved, including the contractors, will be invited to the inquiry. “We want to find out how contractors actually became big in Bulacan,” he said.

For now, however, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong has not been invited. Ridon said the mayor had “slandered” the tricommittee by saying that its inquiry would be “moro-moro,” or just for show.

“I don’t think he has personal knowledge of the sites the President inspected. I don’t think he has personal knowledge of the controversies,” Ridon said.

Magalong, a former police official, earlier said many congressmen were involved in the anomalous flood control projects. He is an ally of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who has also exposed the huge amounts in taxpayer money stolen in the crooked projects. 

Ridon said Magalong would have to meet certain preconditions before he is invited to testify at the tricommittee’s inquiry: “Before he makes his presentation, he has to first disclose the names of the 67 congressmen-contractors, and secondly, the lawmakers receiving 30–40% kickbacks, under oath and with all the evidence.” 

Magalong has “basically slandered the committee,” Ridon said. “He called it a moro-moro. He cannot just go to the committee and say his piece without…proving his accusations.” 

The Bicol Saro representative also reiterated that if lawmakers would be positively identified as involved in the crooked flood control projects, the tricommittee would recuse itself and refer them to an independent third body. He said it was his understanding that Malacañang was just “fixing” the executive order for such a body.

The President announced on Monday that he would issue an executive order creating the independent body that would investigate the anomalies in government-funded flood control projects. He said this body can make recommendations to the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice for the disposition of those found involved.

Asked if the inquiry would cover other questionable infrastructure projects, Ridon said they planned to also look into the rock shed project on Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet, that Mr. Marcos inspected last month. 

Parts of the project’s foothold caved in due to soil scouring during the onslaught of Typhoon “Emong” in July. Mr. Marcos described the project as “sloppily made” and expressed anger that the government had spent ₱260 million on it.