Corruption in Flood Control Projects Costs Billions
LUCENA CITY — The billions of pesos lost due to corruption in flood control projects have robbed thousands of Filipino farmers and college students of vital opportunities, community members said. These lost funds could have transformed agricultural productivity and educational access across the country.
According to local leaders, the billions lost in anomalous flood control projects could have financed over 51,000 farm tractors and irrigated more than 100,000 hectares of farmland. Moreover, the money could have supported 118,000 farmers’ cooperatives and provided scholarships to 250,000 college students. This stark reality highlights how corruption in flood control projects has hindered real progress.
Economic Impact Revealed by Officials
Officials reported that Finance Secretary Ralph Recto revealed the Philippine economy may have lost between P42.3 billion and P118.5 billion in the past two years due to corrupt flood control schemes. This staggering figure underscores the heavy toll of mismanaged public funds on the agriculture and education sectors.
“While government agencies can easily release public money to contractors and their cohorts in office, farmers find it difficult, almost impossible, to access adequate support,” Danny Carranza, secretary general of peasant group Katarungan, said in a statement over the weekend.
Lost Opportunities for Farmers and Students
Carranza lamented that the high-end figure of P118.5 billion could have provided 51,521 tractors, each costing P2.3 million, potentially benefiting over a million farmers if shared properly. He also pointed out that this amount could have offered 275,581 scholarships to children of coconut farmers, enabling them to complete four-year agriculture courses and help uplift their families from poverty.
Community members emphasized that the lost funds could have irrigated 118,500 hectares of farmland using solar-powered systems, doubling crop yields, stabilizing food supply, and lowering prices. Additionally, resources could have supported nearly 600,000 farmers with diversified livestock and starter farming packages worth P200,000 each.
Cooperatives and Capital Access Hindered
Carranza further argued that if the funds were properly allocated, they could have provided P1 million in start-up capital to 118,500 farmers’ cooperatives. However, many farmers still struggle to secure loans due to stringent requirements like a three-year track record, which is nearly impossible amid widespread poverty.
“Had the money stolen by contractors and their accomplices in government been directed to cooperatives, the cooperative movement in the Philippines could have been significantly strengthened, paving the way for rural development,” he added.
Local leaders noted that farmers face lengthy and complicated accreditation and validation processes that seem designed to block immediate support. Meanwhile, public funds flow quickly toward contractors, leaving farmers to endure long waits and difficult journeys just to receive minimal assistance.
Education Programs Fall Short
Community advocates highlighted the government’s coconut farmer scholarship program, which is promoted as a success but in reality reaches very few beneficiaries. Thousands of coconut farmers’ children aspire to study, yet only limited slots exist, and many are excluded for unclear reasons.
“If billions had been directed toward education instead of ghost projects, how many more of these children could have become teachers, nurses, engineers, or agronomists contributing to national progress? How many tractors, seeds, and farm machinery could have been distributed to farmers had the billions wasted on ghost projects been channeled to agriculture’s real needs?” Carranza questioned.
Corruption Prioritizes Profits over People
According to Katarungan, every ghost project funded by the government reveals that priorities lie with the pockets of powerful individuals and their business allies rather than the Filipino people. Each missed opportunity to establish cooperatives weakens grassroots-driven development and rural progress.
They warned that corruption in other government agencies may also be widespread, further dragging agricultural development into deeper stagnation and poverty.
Katarungan urged citizens to hold the government accountable and called for strict punishment of those involved in ghost projects to prevent further losses and ensure justice.
For more news and updates on flood control projects, visit Filipinokami.com.
