Vehicles navigate gutter deep floods along Taft Avenue in Manila on July 19, 2025. The intense rainfall was brought by the southwest monsoon or “habagat,” which was intensified by Tropical Storm ‘Crising.’ PHOTOS BY RENE H. DILAN
MANILA, Philippines — The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) on Monday challenged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to create a Truth Commission to be led by retired justices along with Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong “if he is really sincere in going after those behind the anomalous multibillion-peso flood control projects.”
Former Negros Oriental congressman Jacinto “Jing” Paras said that Marcos’ statements on alleged ghost and anomalous flood control projects were only meant to cover up his “dwindling public support.”
“In his SONA, he was telling those behind the anomalous flood projects to be ashamed of themselves but it should be ‘let us be ashamed of ourselves,’ because in the first place those taxpayers’ money would not have been released by the Department of Budget and Management if he did not approve them,” Paras said at the Pandesal Forum.
“The President is now alienating himself while accusing his cohorts in Congress as behind these irregularities in flood control projects when he, himself, is the mastermind of all these,” he said.
Ferdinand Topacio, PDP’s deputy spokesman, echoed Paras’ statement and challenged Marcos to create an honest-to-goodness board of inquiry “composed of men and women of probity, independence and unimpeachable reputation.”
“For this purpose, we are strongly urging the President to name Mayor Magalong to chair the said commission,” said Topacio.
He said that the PDP welcomed the President’s call for an investigation into the alleged anomalous flood control projects.
“These hundred-billion peso acts of graft and corruption have not only resulted in untold wealth lost to government, not only through direct thievery, but also collateral infrastructure damage, disruption of economic activities. Worst of all is that this sort of unmitigated greed has resulted in the loss of priceless lives,” Topacio said.
He said that the investigation being conducted by the executive branch should not be used as a smokescreen in order to cover up the real culprits.
