STAYING true to his vow to hold those behind alleged failed flood control projects accountable, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. officially rolled out the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website on Monday.

Following through on his State of the Nation Address (SONA) promise to provide transparency on flood mitigation efforts, Marcos Jr. kicked off the week by launching a digital platform that lets citizens track and report on such projects.

Just weeks earlier, heavy rains brought by Typhoon Emong and the Southwest Monsoon or “habagat” pummeled parts of the country—highlighting the apparent absence or inefficiency of flood control systems.

Delivering on a Promise

Roughly two weeks after his fourth SONA—where he criticized substandard infrastructure and pledged to probe those responsible—Marcos took concrete steps toward fulfilling that commitment.

“If there is evidence of corruption, of embezzlement, of any kind of wrongdoing. We need the citizens to play their part, their civic duty to report to the government what they see is wrong,” Marcos said in a press conference in Malacañang.

The site, sumbongsapangulo.ph, gives the public access to track incomplete or possibly “ghost” projects and submit real-time updates, using official data from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Users can look up flood control projects by region, province, or city. In addition, they can filter searches based on the type of project and the fiscal year it was approved.

“We need everyone involved because 80 million, 90 million pairs of eyes are better than all the eyes in the entirety of government… It is exceedingly important that people get involved,” he said.

Watching Closely

The website also enables users to directly report projects to the President by uploading videos, photos, or messages to highlight unfinished or suspicious infrastructure in their communities.

“Ang isususlat ninyo sa report, ako mismo ang babasa. ‘Yan ang asahan ninyo, babasahin ko bawat isa,” Marcos said.

However, the website currently does not offer the option to search for specific contractors or their government contracts—but President Marcos Jr. has expressed openness to adding such features based on public feedback.

“We are very much open to suggestions if the people want us to put more information into the website… I hope people will take advantage of this. This is the first step, we have to keep on going,” he said.

“We have to clean up nice. It might be a little painful, baka masangkot diyan ‘yung mga taong malapit sa atin pero kahit na malapit sila sa atin, mas malapit naman sa puso natin ‘yung ating mga kababayan,” he added

An initial assessment by Malacañang of nationwide flood control projects revealed that 20 percent of nearly 10,000 structures—amounting to around P100 billion—have been awarded to just 15 contractors since 2022.

By launching Sumbong sa Pangulo, the administration has taken a meaningful step toward transparency—proving it is serious about its promises. 

While challenges remain, the platform holds the potential to empower Filipinos with clearer access to information, helping restore public trust one report at a time.