ARAYAT, Pampanga – Former Senior Deputy House Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. seeks for a quick yet rigorous scrutiny into the controversial Candating Flood Control which collapsed for the 3rd time last week.The former Representative from the Third District of Pampanga said those responsible for the collapse of the Candating Flood Control should be answerable but noted that “we all have to work for the betterment of the economy and welfare of communities that would likely be gravely affected as a result of its continued disintegration”.“Sa engineering kasi mayroon tayong straight line diagram, mayroon tayong dotted lines. You can do that simultaneously. Ano ang ibig kong sabihin? Number one, you can do this investigation, ok gawin natin yan. Huwag tayong tumigil sa imbestigasyon. Managot ang dapat managot, pero huwag nating pabayaan itong future. Dumarating na naman ang tag ulan dapat mag trabaho na tayo sa taong bayan, look at GDP, look at our economy,” according to Gonzales.Reports have it that some high-ranking engineers at the Pampanga District Engineering Office (DEO) were behind the construction of the Candating Flood Control, which was finished in 2023.Unconfirmed reports have it that an engineer working at the Pampanga DEO, reportedly a relative of the owner of Eddmari Construction.
Meanwhile, Acting District Engineer Alfie Lejarde said there are no specific engineering intervention yet at the Candating Flood Control as they await directives from the DPWH Central Office on how to approach the problems facing the vital infrastructure.
Lejarde said the Technical Working Group were currently looking at the old dead creek inside the landside of Barangay Candating which they said may had caused the collapse of the Candating Flood Control.
Human settlement at Purok Caveza in Brgy Candating had apparently overtaken the old creek which still has presence of water which may had affected the stability of the ground.
A soggy roadway had been observed in November as construction workers of the Eddmari Construction were laying out some 27 deadman anchors.
Last January 23, ground elevation near the flood control sunk 2 to 3 meters damaging 16 houses.
The affected families were temporarily housed among their relatives.
Gonzales said he will ask Rep. Mica Gonzales to coordinate with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DSHUD) so that affected families may get housing support.
The TWG is studying the possibility of resurrecting the old creek to its original state and build a check-gate to release water but that would apparently affect houses along its way.
Some P293 million had reportedly been spent on the Candating Flood Control, where a series of repairs had been done which cost the government millions of pesos.
Some P20 million had been spent on the Candating Flood Control in 2018, P91,626,654 in 2023, P91,841,988, and P91,485,523 in 2024.
It was learned that another P100 million was budgeted anew for 2025 but Malacanang halted its release as the controversy on sub-standard and non-existent flood control projects cropped up.
Super Typhoon Carina first damaged sections of the infrastructure in August 2024, and again in September 2025.
Meanwhile, Gonzales who finished his term last June 2025, said that, “I am not a Cong-tractor.”
“I am a congressman. I am a legislator. Up to now, I am not a Cong-tractor,” according to Gonzales.
“We did all our part as a congressman, Ginawa ko po kung papano tayo makahanap makalikom ng pondo para sa mga critical projects. (I did what we could to find and raise funds for critical projects) We have only I think 13 percent flood controls all over the province. As far as I know, we did what we could”.
