Anne Curtis, Nadine Lustre, other celebrities call out alleged corruption in flood control projects, lavish lifestyles of officials' children
Several celebrities took to social media to denounce the alleged corruption in flood control projects as well as the alleged lavish lifestyles of government officials' children.
The corruption issue involving billions of pesos has been a hot topic in the news and social media for weeks now. Adding insult to the injury was how internet users noticed several children of politicians and contractors, branding them as "nepo babies," who flex their designer clothing and fly to different countries in seemingly unapologetic fashion—and even vlogging about their comforts.
The matter has become so alarming that even a number of celebrities and personalities have decided to speak up.
Anne Curtis, on X, remembered a spiel from veteran broadcast journalist Jessica Soho, who said, "Hindi na pala baha ang magpapalubog aa ating bayan [kundi kasakiman]." The quote came from a Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho special report on the alleged corruption in flood control projects uploaded on YouTube on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
"Sakit," Curtis said, with two disappointed face emojis.
When Mam @KM_JessicaSoho said "Hindi na pala baha ang magpapalubog aa ating bayan kungdi kasikiman" Sakit 😞😞
— Anne Curtis-Smith (@annecurtissmith) August 28, 2025
Nadine Lustre, in an interview with ABS-CBN News, couldn't help but feel anger and sympathize with the general public.
“I’m really sad seeing people struggling, losing their homes, livelihood, pets, because we can’t find a solution,” she said. “Nakakagalit, nakakalungkot na 'yung binibigay natin na buwis sa ganon napupunta. Nakakainis talaga. It is sad funds are being used for something else.”
She also expressed delight that more Filipinos are calling out the suspected corrupt officials.
“It is good people are speaking up," she said. “When you stand up for yourself, people will do something about it. At the end of the day, they have to take care of people. We are paying them to help us and make things better for us."
Vice Ganda, who is now in London for the upcoming ASAP in England, on Instagram Story shared a photo of a dining table with home-cooked meals, saying, "Super tipid ako dito sa London kasi ang mahal."
"Kaya namalengke na lang kami nung first day at nagluto dito sa Airbnb. Pangatlong araw na naming iniinit tong natirang adobo. Tapos bigla kong naalala 'yung milyon-milyon kong tax na pinaghahati-hatian ng mga garapal na magnanakaw. Aray ko!"
Bianca Gonzalez-Intal, on X, noted how her social media feed is filled with posts on the "lavish lifestyle of kids of corrupt officials."
"[A]nd here we are, mga walang generational wealth o nakaw na yaman, na kumakayod araw araw, na minsa'y nahihiya pa magpost ng travel o ng nabili kasi baka 'mayabang' ang dating [flushed face emoji]," Gonzalez said. "[P]aano ba to."
my feed filled with posts on the lavish lifestyle of kids of corrupt officials.... and here we are, mga walang generational wealth o nakaw na yaman, na kumakayod araw araw, na minsa'y nahihiya pa magpost ng travel o ng nabili kasi baka "mayabang" ang dating 😳 paano ba to
— Bianca Gonzalez Intal (@iamsuperbianca) August 28, 2025
in a Facebook post, actress and TV host Dianne Medina wrote, "To everyone working hard with integrity and fighting for equal opportunities—keep going."
"Fair and decent jobs, equal chances, an honest life, and a future free from corruption are all worth fighting for!" she added, with the hashtag #HustlewithHonesty.
Comedienne Pokwang, on X, shared, "May trangkaso ako ngayon kakatrabaho para meron silang pang-flex ng mga bongga nilang lifestyle! Huy, mga 'nak, 'wag kayo mag-deactivate ng mga socmed nyo! Para alam ng taong bayan na napapasaya namin kayo."
For entrepreneur and actor Matteo Guidicelli, "real change begins with transparency, accountability, and integrity."
Veteran broadcast journalist Karen Davila, for her part, on X said it's high time to shame corrupt politicians.
"Sa ibang bansa, ang nagnanakaw sa gobyerno nakukulong o naghaharakiri. Sa Pilipinas, kina-iinggitan. Tama na," she continued.
KURAKOT SHAMING. It’s high time.
— Karen Davila (@iamkarendavila) August 28, 2025
Sa ibang bansa, ang nagnanakaw sa gobyerno nakukulong o naghaharakiri.
Sa Pilipinas, kina-iinggitan. Tama na.
Massive flooding in July
The issue in the government's flood control projects began in July as the rains triggered massive flooding in the metro.
Economist JC Punongbayan, in a Facebook post, questioned why flooding persists despite having billions of pesos in flood control allocations over the years.
Using data from the Department of Budget and Management, he shared a graph showing the steadily increasing flood control allocations: P141.6 billion in 2021, P209.9 billion in 2022, P282.5 billion in 2023, and P351.3 billion in 2024. This year’s allocation stands at P349.4 billion and, despite being less than the previous year’s allocation, Punongbayan noted it’s still roughly a third of the national infrastructure budget.
“Bakit grabe pa rin ang baha?” he asked. “Bakit parang hindi ramdam ang pagbuhos ng budget sa flood control systems?”
At the time, Lacson told dzBB that since 2011, about P1 trillion allocated for flood control projects may have been lost to corruption.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., in his fourth State of the Nation Address, called out government officials involved in the would-be corruption in flood control projects.
Marcos ordered the DPWH to "immediately submit" to him the list of flood control projects from every region that were started and completed in the last three years. He said a project monitoring committee will evaluate this list to determine the failures, as well as the unfinished and ghost projects.
Soon after, he launched the "Sumbong sa Pangulo" website, where the public can track and report flood control projects. He also published a list of 15 contractors that exclusively bagged 20% of all flood control projects worth P100 billion in the last three years.
Not long after, Sarah and Curlee Discaya, who are linked to big-time construction firms involved in flood control projects, made the rounds on social media, especially after Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto posted about the couple's interviews with Korina Sanchez and Julius Babao leading up to the 2025 midterm elections. Sarah ran against Sotto but lost by a landslide.
The Bureau of Customs said it would “immediately look into” the Discayas' imported luxury cars. The Bureau of Internal Revenue said it also began a probe into contractors linked to the DPWH flood control projects.
