President Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has ordered lifestyle checks on all officials amid the investigation into anomalous flood control projects.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said Castro said this was also Marcos’ go signal for government agencies, LGUs to conduct their own investigations.

“Magdedemanda po talaga, sasampahan ng kaso ang dapat sampahan ng kaso. Walang sisinuhin, walang malapit sa puso, walang kaalyado, kung sino man ang involved dito, sasampahan ng kaso,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said.

Marcos last week said he was “very angry” after seeing a multi-millionpeso river wall project in Baliuag, Bulacan that has yet to be constructed despite being tagged as “completed.

The President said because of these fictitious projects, the government would be compelled to file an economic sabotage case against those contractors and individuals involved.

Earlier, the DPWH admitted there were “ghost” flood control projects and vowed to investigate them.

Meanwhile, Marcos Jr. is open to discuss with Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong what he knows about anomalous flood control projects.

Malacanang said Magalong already submitted documents on the alleged corruption in flood control projects to the President.

Magalong had said he was waiting to be called to Congress after he said there were lawmakers receiving payoffs from infrastructure projects, including flood control programs.

Malacañang also assured that accountability would be stricter in the investigation on alleged “ghost” and substandard projects in Bulacan, which were supposedly included in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

If that’s a priority project and based on the NEP, accountability is stricter, the President will surely focus on this. Even though it’s part of NEP or an insertion or project of a certain politician, it doesn’t mean that it will not be investigated. Everything will be probed.

The alleged ghost flood control project in Bulacan that caught the ire of the President was an allocation that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) proposed, and not a congressional insertion from among lawmakers, a co-chair of the House Infrastructure Committee said.

This was based on Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon’s analysis of the National Expenditure Program, the proposed allocations the Executive branch submitted to the Legislative, and the General Appropriations Act, the budget law that Congress passed.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said he would check Ridon’s claims that some “ghost” projects were “National Expenditure Program-originated,” and proposed by the agency.

The Commission on Audit, for its part, will conduct a technical inspection of all flood control projects, covering the period January 1, 2022 to July 31, 2025, whether these are ongoing or already completed.