The Council of Concerned Citizens (C3) Bacolod began its independent investigative mission on Monday, Sept. 22, “to make the culprits in fraudulent flood control and other public infrastructure projects accountable and brought to trial, while advancing good governance and transparency”.
“Our investigation has raised more technical, legal, and financial questions than answers. While no ghost projects were found, questions remain about design integrity, bidding processes, contractor accountability, and the true necessity of some flood control structures,” a C3 report furnished by lawyer Cesar Beloria Jr. on Monday said.
The C3 report was approved by the C3 Council led by Fr. Aniceto “Mao” Buenafe, C3 lead convenor, Beloria said.
The C3 report said from 2017 to 2025, Bacolod City alone was allocated ₱4,283,707,995.00 for flood control projects.
Across Negros Island, 138 flood control projects worth an estimated ₱11 billion are on record. These figures demand rigorous inspection and honest reporting, it said.
On Monday the Inspectorate Members of C3 Bacolod, accompanied by representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Office of the Mayor of Bacolod, and the Office of the Lone District of Bacolod, conducted the first on-site inspection of four completed projects.
The four are the Lupit River Phase 7 flood control structure worth P96,500,000 constructed by Legacy Construction/MKU, Bakyas Creek revetment with floodwall worth P96,500,000 constructed by C’Zarles/JVC Tough One;
Ngalan River revetment with floodwall worth P96,500,000 constructed by C’Zarles/JVC Tough One, and the Loygoy River revetment with floodwall worth P91,675,000 constructed by Legacy Construction:
All four projects were reported completed in 2024.
The C3 findings were:
*LOYGOY RIVER. While completed, portions of 10 meters and 2–3 meters were visibly rehabilitated. Given the site’s topography and geological condition, the necessity of a flood control structure is questionable. Reforestation would have been a more sustainable and less costly alternative.
*LUPIT RIVER. The revetment concrete mix appears to be Class B, which has a short shelf life and may not be sustainable for a 6.5–7 meter wall height. A proper retaining wall design would have been more appropriate. DPWH records also reveal an ongoing Phase 7 project worth ₱144 million, supposedly completed in December 2024, alongside other revetment phases and an esplanade project costing hundreds of millions more. The inter-phasing of these projects remains obscure and requires further investigation.
The Ngalan River project.*C3 photo
*BAKYAS CREEK AND NGALAN RIVER. Both revetments require further technical assessment regarding the durability of concrete mix and appropriateness of design. Again, the necessity of flood control structures at these sites is questionable given their natural topography.
The legality of the contractors’ joint ventures cannot be verified as special licenses and JVA documents are unavailable, C3 reported.
If subcontracted by royalty arrangements, accountability extends to both the contractors and DPWH, it said.
Agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the City Government must also be held accountable for the apparent non-observance of standard river easements in these projects, C3 said.
C3 has been receiving numerous queries and conjectures from various sectors, with the public demanding quick and clear answers, its report said.
“The people of Bacolod and Negros deserve genuine transparency, authentic competitive bidding, and full accountability for every peso spent”, it added.
The report said C3 Bacolod will:
*Secure and review all project records from DPWH, including contracts, programs of work, and bills of quantities;
*Conduct further site inspections across Bacolod and Negros Occidental; and
*Publish evidence-based reports to the public to ensure that accountability and transparency are upheld.
MAYOR’S REACTION
Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya said he welcomes the CCC move as long as the motivation is for transparency, and for validation of programs and projects of government.
There are members of the Church spearheading the move whom he respects that is why he sent representatives from the city government to join the inspections, he said.
However, if the motivation is different the people will know, he said, noting that some of the CCC members were political opponents in the last election.
Buenafe assured that the CCC invited representatives from government and others who wish to join its inspections in order to be transparent.*