P270M rock shed useless – Marcos

(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday blasted the “useless” rock shed project in Tuba, Benguet, which cost the government more than P270 million to build.

Accompanied by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong and Tuba Mayor Clarita Sal-ongan, the President inspected the 152-meter, two-lane rock shed project in Camp 6 along Kennon Road, which was meant to protect motorists from rockfalls and landslides during heavy rain.

The P273.93-million project was awarded to 3K Rock Engineering.

“It’s as if no work was done,” Marcos said in Filipino. “The (more than) P260 million that the government spent on this project had no effect whatsoever as to protect the slope.”

He said that the rock shed had disintegrated and did not prevent the soil from collapsing during the onslaught of Typhoon Emong and monsoon rains last July.

The soil collapse and rockfall resulted in damage to the structure and the closure of a portion of Kennon Road, a major link to Baguio.

“It’s like you just threw away the money into the river. Useless,” Marcos said.

Funded under the 2022 infrastructure program, the project started on Jan. 10, 2023 was listed as completed on April 13, 2025.

Rebuilding the shed would cost the government at least twice the original amount, or P500 million.

The President has ordered charges filed against those involved in the project, not just for the substandard outcome and partial road closure, but also for income loss to businesses.

“It’s economic sabotage. It is not only the physical damage that we can see, but it is also the damage to the economy. It is also the damage to the people’s livelihood,” he said.

“These people just want to have some livelihood, but they have a loss of at least 35 percent because the government’s money was pocketed by some,” he said.

Apart from the rock shed at Camp 6, the President also inspected the rock netting mesh system at Camp 5, worth P114.18 million.

He also flagged the project as anomalous “because rock netting is notorious for corruption.”

“Rock netting was prohibited, but it was still done. Aside from that, I know the supplier of rock nettings. The price of rock netting is only P3,200. What was charged to the government is more than P12,000,” he said.

The rock shed and netting were the latest flood control projects inspected by Marcos since the launching of the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website earlier this month.

Last week, the President was infuriated upon confirming that “not even a single hollow block was placed” in the P55-million river wall project in Baliuag, Bulacan.

Punishment

Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Sunday credited the President for encouraging the people to get involved in exposing flawed and non-existent flood control projects through the Sumbong sa Pangulo website.

But Lacson added that “without the certainty of punishment,” the corruption will continue, along with the loss of lives and taxpayers’ hard-earned money.

He said the “final test” of action against corrupt individuals is whether they will be prosecuted.

“It took the 4th SONA of the President, followed by the launching of (the) sumbongsapangulo.ph website, to get the nation involved in monitoring and reporting substandard and ghost flood control projects all over the country. The final test lies in the ‘logical conclusion,’” Lacson wrote on X.

“I hope there will be big fish that will be charged, prosecuted, convicted and jailed so their example will not be followed. In my law enforcement days, this was called certainty of punishment. If there is no accountability or certainty of punishment, those involved in corruption will be emboldened to continue — and those who are not may be encouraged to engage in it,” he said in Filipino.

In a privilege speech last week, Lacson detailed the extent of corruption that marred several flood-control projects.

He noted that over P1.9 trillion was allocated to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) alone for flood control since 2011, yet the problem of flooding persists. At least half of the P1.9 trillion may have been lost to corruption, he said.

Lacson said that while he is heartened that the public has become involved in monitoring and reporting suspicious flood-control contracts, he wants the initiative to cover all infrastructure projects.

WITH BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO