Where have all the contractors gone? That’s the question haunting residents as Iloilo City’s billion-peso flood control projects remain invisible on Malacañang’s transparency website — despite President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s promise to personally read every complaint against questionable public works.
On September 11, Mayor Raisa Treñas led an inspection of the ₱199.4-million seawall project in Barangay Bo. Obrero, Lapuz. The job, handled by St. Timothy Construction Corp., is only one piece of a massive flood package worth nearly ₱500 million. Yet while Section 3 shows activity, Sections 1 and 2 — costing ₱141.8 million and ₱141.7 million — have no public status reports. More alarming, none of St. Timothy’s projects are reflected on the President’s official complaint portal.
The blackout doesn’t stop there. In Jaro district, another ₱144.7-million floodway project awarded to Alpha & Omega General Contractor and Development Corp. lists no start date, no target completion, and — once again — no contractor name on the Palace site.
Both firms, St. Timothy and Alpha & Omega, are tied to the Discaya family — one of the most influential players in the flood control sector, flagged by Marcos himself as among the top contractors cornering nationwide projects.
Now, critics are whispering louder: someone with power is shielding these contractors from scrutiny.
Suspicion has only grown after City Lone District Rep. Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda showcased her cozy ties with DPWH brass on social media. In July 2023, Baronda proudly posted photos of meetings with then DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan, undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, and assistant secretary Constante Llanes Jr., using the hashtag #ProjectsForPreparedness.
The congresswoman boasted of plans for seawalls, coastal boulevards, drainage upgrades, and evacuation centers — all under the banner of disaster-readiness. Months earlier, she also met with Bonoan to push for the rehabilitation of dikes and seawalls across Iloilo’s coastal barangays.
For many residents, those posts now raise more questions than answers: If Baronda has been in the loop on multimillion-peso projects, why are contractor names still missing from the Palace’s transparency site? Who really pulls the strings behind Iloilo’s flood control bonanza?
“This is nothing but a failure — projects without clear direction, without proper consultation, and without immediate use to the people,” Treñas said bluntly after her inspection. “Simple seawall repairs demanded by residents were ignored, while millions are wasted on projects that do not serve their needs.”
The absence of data has bred distrust. “How can the President read the people’s grievances if the contractors aren’t even listed? This undermines transparency at its core,” one frustrated resident told IMT NEWS.
President Marcos had warned earlier this year: “What you write in the report, I will personally read. Expect me to go through every single one.” But with missing entries, the system designed to expose corruption may never deliver those complaints to his desk.
City Hall is finalizing its review of all flood projects, promising to submit findings to DPWH, DENR, and oversight bodies. For now, Iloilo’s billion-peso flood defenses remain ghost projects — with invisible contractors, unanswered questions, and suspicions circling Baronda’s role in keeping certain names out of sight.IMT
