San Miguel Corporation Chairman Ramon Ang’s proposal to assist in solving flooding in Metro Manila by cleaning rivers and waterways at “no cost” to the government presents an opportunity for Malacañang to encourage other billionaires to contribute to this ongoing issue, according to Senator Panfilo Lacson.
In an interview on DWIZ, Lacson stated that the Palace has a chance to “issue a clarion call to other billionaires in the Forbes list to pool their resources for this as an act of Corporate Social Responsibility.” He emphasized the potential impact if the country’s wealthiest families collaborated to address flooding, which the government has struggled to manage despite spending hundreds of billions in tax money each fiscal year.
“Imagine if the country’s richest families will pool their CSR (corporate social responsibility) resources together and do what government spends hundreds of billions on in tax money every fiscal year, but seems to fail to deliver,” Lacson remarked in a separate post on his X account.
Lacson noted that corporations can receive tax exemptions for making donations and conducting CSR initiatives, which could incentivize their participation in flood management efforts.
If Ang follows through on his offer, Lacson indicated he would advocate for a reduction in the 2026 flood management appropriations for Metro Manila allocated to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). He pointed out that the DPWH has received over P2 trillion in flood management allocations since 2011 but has not effectively resolved the flooding problem.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. acknowledged in his State of the Nation Address in July that some flood-control projects have been faulty or not constructed at all due to corruption, prompting the DPWH, Senate, and House to announce reviews and investigations into these projects.
Lacson is also conducting his own investigation into alleged failed and ghost flood control projects, which he claims have cost taxpayers more than P2 trillion over the past 15 years. He is looking into a “new modus operandi” related to these projects and is verifying details on the ground to ensure his findings are factual.
He explained that he is examining projects funded in earlier General Appropriations Acts (GAAs) that were listed as completed but were never constructed, only to be funded again in the 2025 GAA. “For example, a project would be funded 1-2 years ago. It will not be constructed and it will not be too obvious because it is in a remote area, but it will be funded again, then actually constructed,” he said.
Lacson is also investigating the alleged use of substandard materials and practices that do not adhere to project specifications, as well as potential conflicts of interest involving DPWH district engineers who may have construction companies implementing projects under their own names.
