The Philippine Senate held its second hearing for the oddities surrounding the flood control projects on Sept. 1. The country frequently experiences flooding due to typhoons and monsoon rains. On July 25, the Philippines experienced a severe tropical storm that led to 25 deaths and 278,000 people displaced. 

This is not the sole case of severe flooding. Several videos have been posted online of communities waist-deep in rushing water, relying on ropes and inflatable rafts to travel from place to place and for rescuers to arrive.

Because of these floods, an investigation was conducted, which showed low quality on flood control infrastructure. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has held several hearings questioning the contractors and the involvement of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). 

The Chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Rodante Marcoleta, reports that approximately 7.3 billion pesos of “budgetary insertions” made by the DBM were spent on “ghost projects,” which are defined as projects documented to be complete but aren’t constructed. About 60 ghost projects have been reported to the Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos’ website from several communities in the Philippines.

Sarah Discaya is at the center of these questions. Owner of six companies and three joint ventures, she claimed 31 billion pesos worth of flood control projects in the span of three years and firmly established herself in the industry. 

In the Sept. 1 hearing, Discaya said to have no ghost projects among the 400 she bought in bidding. However, President Marcos personally investigated a river protection project, which one of Discaya’s companies was in charge of and found it unfinished despite being officially documented as complete.

Investigations and monitoring are still ongoing.