File

A new investigation by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) has revealed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte received tens of millions of pesos in campaign contributions from public works contractors, raising significant questions about potential conflicts of interest. The report highlights a pattern where these donor-contractors saw a dramatic increase in the value of their government contracts in the years following the 2022 election, despite a provision in the Omnibus Election Code that prohibits such contributions.

The findings come at a time of heightened public outrage and official scrutiny into the country's public works system. Ongoing congressional hearings have already uncovered a system of large off-the-books payments and collusion among contractors, government officials, and lawmakers in awarding flood-control projects. This has led to the recent ousting of both the Senate President and House Speaker, and the dismissal of public works officials. The public, angered by the scale of the corruption, has even taken to protesting in front of contractors' homes.

According to PCIJ's analysis of campaign finance records submitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Rodulfo D. Hilot Jr., a construction tycoon from Zamboanga del Sur, was one of the largest financial backers of Marcos Jr.'s presidential bid, contributing a hefty P20 million. After the election, Hilot's company, Rudhil Construction & Enterprises Inc., saw its government contracts balloon by nearly P1 billion in a single year, reaching a staggering P3.5 billion in 2024.

Similarly, Jonathan M. Quirante, a Cebu-based contractor, donated P1 million to the Marcos campaign. His company, Quirante Construction Corporation, experienced an even more dramatic surge, with its total solo and joint contracts leaping to P3 billion in 2023—a billion-peso increase in just one year. The report notes that a significant portion of the firm's recent projects have been for flood-control, a sector currently under intense public and legislative scrutiny.

Vice President Sara Duterte's campaign also benefited from a construction magnate. Glenn Escandor, a long-time friend of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, and owner of Genesis88 Construction Inc., paid for P19.9 million worth of advertisements for her vice-presidential campaign through his real-estate firm, Esdevco Realty Corporation. Genesis88 Construction, which saw a significant rise in its government contracts during the previous administration, continues to be a top flood-control contractor in Davao del Sur.

The Omnibus Election Code explicitly bans campaign donations from entities that do business with the government, a provision designed to prevent conflicts of interest. While the Comelec has "reenergized" its investigation into contractor-donors, citing a lack of personnel as a primary challenge, the PCIJ report brings the issue directly to the doorstep of the country's two highest officials.

With the resignation of the Senate President and House Speaker, the question now looms: will the legislative body, which has shown a new willingness to hold its own members accountable, be able to extend its scrutiny to the very top? And will the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, recently established by the president, be willing to investigate its own leaders? The report leaves little doubt that the public will be watching closely for the answer.