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Burning the Public Trust: Case Studies of Flood Control Structures

 

Climate change flood control structures
Climate change flood control structures

Case Study: Philippines flood-control structures—substandard materials and duplicate contracts

In 2024–25, the Philippines confronted an extraordinary scandal over flood-control projects. Following internal and external reviews, media and official statements alleged ghost projects, substandard works, contractor monopolies, and copy-paste budgets across hundreds of contracts. While these events highlight a significant case of corruption, they also represent a missed opportunity for the nation to pursue resilient development and infrastructure growth. The improper conduct not only led to immediate negative consequences, such as a cabinet resignation, procurement suspensions, and blacklisting moves (Reuters, September 2025; GMA News, September 2025; ABS-CBN, October 2025) but also detracted from long-term potential improvements in disaster resilience, economic stability, and community safety. By framing this episode as a significant loss in achieving developmental objectives and meeting disaster management goals, a broader urgency for policy reform can be achieved. The scandal highlights how systemic failures in oversight and governance can hinder mission-driven growth, which is crucial for national progress.

What’s been reported and alleged (selected):

  • Substandard or non-existent works: The Commission on Audit (COA) flagged ₱341 million in flood projects as “substandard, overpriced, or non-existent” across several contractors, with referral to the Ombudsman (COA via GMA News, 2025). 
  • Contract concentration & duplications: Investigations highlighted a small set of contractors receiving a disproportionate share of budgets, with identical costs across different locations—a red flag for template pricing or paper projects (Reuters, 2025). 
  • “Ghost” or collapsed projects: Press coverage described zero-percent physical accomplishment on some “completed” structures, and collapses of recently built embankments—classic symptoms of shortcut construction and supervision capture (ABS-CBN, 2025). 

System Lessons:

  • Fragmented data = weak accountability. Many tenders and contracts were not published in a uniform, analyzable format, making it hard for citizens to track end-to-end delivery—exactly the gap OCDS/OC4IDS is designed to fix (Open Contracting; CoST). (Comptroller and Auditor General of India)
  • Ownership opacity. Questions about related-party firms and “fronts” underscore the need to link procurement data with beneficial-ownership registries (Open Ownership; World Bank). (openownership.org)

Citizen takeaway: Use this checklist to act when issues arise with local projects:

- Pull contracts and check As-Builts for discrepancies.
- Compare quantities to site reality to ensure accuracy.
- Request access to information from relevant authorities.
The Ombudsman and COA are natural partners for citizen evidence packets in such cases.

Case Study: Bangladesh cyclone-shelter retrofits—contract clustering and local patronage

Bangladesh’s coastal belt depends on multi-purpose cyclone shelters and their access roads. While the country’s disaster management is globally respected, studies and watchdog work reveal pockets of irregularities in preparedness, relief, and infrastructure siting— especially where local patronage influences location and contracting (Mahmud, 2012; TIB, 2020). (ScienceDirect)

Evidence threads to consider:

  • Siting and access distorted by influence: Transparency International Bangladesh documented a case in Barguna where a government engineer placed a shelter near his own home, leaving the wider community on the wrong side of a river—an integrity failure with life-and-death implications (TI, “Corruption leaves Locals Vulnerable…,” undated page; TIB data portal). (Transparency International Bangladesh; TI Atlas) (Transparency.org).
  • Management and maintenance gaps: Research on the state of cyclone shelters highlights challenges in upkeep, staffing, and equitable access—issues that are easily worsened if contracts are clustered among politically connected firms that skimp on quality or operations and maintenance (O&M) (Keast & colleagues, 2014/2025 update; IFRC situation reports) (ResearchGate).
  • Audit capacity exists—and should be used: The Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh has issued climate performance-audit guidelines and generic criteria that call for GIS-mapped shelter inventories, repair plans, and data on the condition of existing assets—data that citizens can request to verify local claims (CAG Bangladesh, 2018a; 2018b). 

Citizen takeaway: demand citing justifications, access-road specs, and maintenance budgets; check whether shelters are where hazard maps say they should be—and whether retrofits were verified by independent inspection before storm season.

Tools: what citizens can check in a tender notice (and beyond)

You don’t need to be an engineer to spot many red flags. Here’s a practical, copy-and-use checklist derived from guidance on open contracting, competition, and integrity pacts (OCP, 2024; OECD, 2025; TI, 2018). 

Before the tender (planning)

  • Is there a published procurement plan? Real plans allow fair market preparation and reduce “emergency” excuses (OCP/OGP).
  • Are project IDs consistent? The same identifier should appear in the budget, plan, tender, contract, and asset registry (World Bank; CoST). 
  • Is the design public? For levees, drains, or shelters, look for cross-sections, elevations, and bill of quantities (BoQ). No design = no scrutiny.

In the tender documents

  • Competition by default. Open competitive procedures should be the norm; restricted/direct awards need clear, legal justification (OECD). 
  • Specs that fit the purpose, not a supplier. Beware brand names, unjustified experience thresholds, or delivery times that only incumbents can meet (OECD; World Bank). 
  • Lot design. Lots cut into neat slices, equal to those of cartel members, are a classic collusion tale (OECD, 2025 update).
  • Real timelines. Bid windows under 7–10 business days for complex works are suspect unless pre-announced (OCP practice). (Comptroller and Auditor General of India)
  • Conflict-of-interest & BO disclosures. Who ultimately owns the bidders? Are there ties to decision-makers? (Open Ownership; World Bank/BO guidance). 

At the award

  • How many bidders? One-bid tenders signal market or design problems; systemic single-bid rates deserve investigation (OCP evidence). 
  • Price vs. estimate. A huge gap—too low or too high—warrants questions about quality or padding.
  • Evaluation transparency. Are scores, reasons for disqualification, and the full contract available for publication?

During implementation

  • Variation discipline. Are change orders justified by site conditions—or by initial under-scoping? Watch for serial changes just below review thresholds (World Bank, 2014; SFO NZ, 2025). 
  • Testing and photos. Are concrete tests, soil compaction logs, and geotagged progress photos public (CoST/OC4IDS)? (Inquirer.net)
  • Payment milestones. Do progress payments match real progress? Are supervising engineers independent?

At completion and into O&M

  • As-Built & defect lists. These must be published; you can’t maintain what you can’t see.
  • O&M budget lines. If no one funds cleaning, dredging, and part replacement, failure is scheduled.

For emergencies

  • Pre-qualified vendor pools & price caps. Speed with integrity—publish every emergency contract within 10 days; it’s possible, as other countries have shown (Open Contracting /ProZorro case literature). 

4.8 What reform looks like in practice

Publish and use data

Publishing contracting data in OCDS/OC4IDS is not just paperwork; it is how markets and citizens can see. Evidence shows that more bidders, lower single-bid rates, and better value result when usable data attracts genuine competition. For instance, Ukraine experienced a 20% decline in single-bid tenders after implementing open data standards, illustrating the effectiveness of this reform in enhancing transparency and competition (OCP, 2024).

Link BO to contracts

Make it normal to check beneficial owners (BOs) against sanctions, political exposure, and related-party risks before award (Open Ownership, 2021; OGP, 2023; IMF, 2025).

Integrity pacts and community monitors

Transparency International’s Integrity Pacts bring civil society into the process, from tender design to delivery, thereby deterring collusion and documenting deviations in real time (TI, 2018) (transparencycdn.org).

Competition authority + procurers = joint patrol

Bid-rigging is a competition crime. The OECD’s 2025 update encourages cooperation among procurement bodies, audit institutions, anti-corruption agencies, and competition authorities—and trains buyers to recognize patterns (OECD, 2025).

The IPCC informs us that extremes are intensifying; the World Bank reminds us that procurement is the largest business government runs; the OECD reveals how cartels operate; and TI and open-contracting groups demonstrate how to shed light. In climate projects, that light is a levee that holds. Without it, the 'savings' from a cheap bid can become the cost of a collapsed embankment and a flooded school.

Engineers, journalists, and parents, the responsibility now lies with you to ask the crucial questions. Is the competition real? Are specs climate-proofed? Are the owners known? Are change orders justified and visible? Is the build tested and photographed? Are O&M budgets ring-fenced? By addressing these questions, you can ensure the infrastructure your communities rely on is safe and resilient.

When you see a climate tender, follow the data: Is the competition real? Are specs climate-proofed? Are the owners known? Are change orders justified and visible? Is the build tested and photographed? Are O&M budgets ring-fenced? Those boring questions save lives.
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