BACOLOD City – Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez disclosed that one of the country’s Top 15 contractors identified by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as having cornered 20 percent of flood control projects nationwide is from Victorias City, Negros Occidental.
Speaking to the media on August 12 at the Bacolod City Government Center, Benitez said Legacy Construction Corporation, owned by a Victorias City resident, has been in the construction business for quite some time.
The lawmaker added that the Department of Public Works and Highways – Negros Island Region (DPWH-NIR) is currently holding a regional meeting with district engineers to assess and review all projects implemented since 2022.
“I was told that about 22 percent of our flood control projects were awarded to Legacy,” Benitez said.
He clarified, however, that the President merely cited the top contractors nationwide without making allegations of anomalies.
“He just said these are the Top 15 corporations awarded nationwide — that’s purely factual. Whether these projects are ‘ghost’ or substandard, we do not know yet,” Benitez stressed.
In Bacolod alone, Legacy has implemented six DPWH flood control projects from 2022 to 2024, five of which are already completed while the remaining one is nearing completion. The company is also handling the construction of the Bacolod Legislative Building, funded by the local government, and the Bacolod General Hospital, funded by the national government.
Earlier, Benitez said identifying contractors who fail to deliver quality projects is crucial in addressing the city’s flooding problems.
“The President’s move to publicize the names of contractors involved in flood control projects is the first real step in holding accountable those who benefit from public funds without delivering results,” he said.
He also urged the government to impose a temporary blacklist on contractors with a history of unfinished, substandard, or grossly delayed flood control projects until they are cleared of wrongdoing.
“This will immediately protect our budget from further waste and emphasize that incompetence and corruption will have consequences. Contractors should not be allowed to profit from the misery of our kababayan,” Benitez added./PN
