A dike in Plaridel town, Bulacan province, that was supposed to protect residents from floods cost taxpayers nearly $2 million but when a government minister inspected it this month, he found nothing more than loosely piled dirt along the river.
The project had been marked as “completed” more than a year ago, yet locals say construction only began recently. It is one of more than 100 flood-control projects now at the center of what is being described as one of the Philippines’ largest corruption scandals in decades.
The fallout has already forced leadership changes in both houses of Congress, but the most significant impact is felt in communities still exposed to constant flooding. Many residents in Bulacan live along rivers, where swollen waters regularly invade homes, schools, and roads.
“We carry our children to school when the water is high,” said Leo Francisco, a construction worker and father of two in the village of Bulusan. “Inside our house, the water is up to our thighs. On the road, sometimes it’s knee-high, sometimes ankle-high. And these are on normal days not during typhoons.
Supposed flood defenses like the Plaridel dike have failed to bring relief. Francisco explained that the structure is “incomplete,” and even where parts are built, water still passes through because the pilings are too shallow.
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