P5.4-B Flood Deal Drama: Chiz Defends Friend Amid Corruption Storm!

Manila, Philippines - Senate President Chiz Escudero is under fire after confirming that his good pal, contractor Lawrence Lubiano, snagged a whopping P5.4 billion flood control contract — smack dab in the middle of a raging corruption scandal!

At a Senate press con, Escudero spilled the tea: Centerways Construction, owned by Lubiano, chipped in P30 million to his 2022 senatorial bid. But wait, the bulk of the juicy contracts? Those came before Escudero returned to the Senate — back when he was Sorsogon’s top boss from 2019 to 2022.

Still, critics are barking loud about Lubiano’s slice of the P545 billion flood control pie that’s been allegedly gobbled up by 15 big-time contractors since 2022.

Escudero shot back, “Why the focus on my friend’s 1% slice? What about the other 99%?” He even hinted the whole uproar is a “demolition job” cooked up by the House as revenge for the Senate ditching the impeachment complaint against VP Sara Duterte.

One thing’s clear — politics and flood control money are a messy mix, and Escudero’s caught right in the middle of the storm!