As the country grapples with the fallout from a massive infrastructure scam, a flood control project continues on reclaimed land in Laguna de Bay. The contractor is Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc., implicated in Bulacan's ghost flood control projects. Investigation shows Phase 1 in Taguig City is 70.08% complete.
Amid probes into corruption in Bulacan's flood control projects, Philstar.com found Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc. as the contractor for the 'Improvement of Laguna Lakeshore Area, Barangay Lower Bicutan (Phase 1), Taguig City.' It costs P94.04 million and started on June 5, 2026, set to end March 31, 2026. The project is implemented by the Metro Manila 1st District Engineering Office, with Core Check Construction.
In October 2025, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) flagged the C6-adjacent reclamation site as a flood control project, but the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) claimed it was road work. However, the DPWH's transparency site lists it as 'Flood Control: Construction - Slope Protection using Structural Measures.'
Using Google Earth, Philstar.com identified reclamation instances along Laguna de Bay's shores, particularly near C6 in Taguig. An environmental lawyer and marine biologist from Oceana confirmed these as reclamation sites. An onsite visit to the TLC Park area revealed ongoing construction with dump trucks moving earth, despite the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) suspending reclamation activities.
Topnotch owner Eumir Villanueva and wife Pamela are on the Department of Justice's lookout bulletin order due to the Bulacan investigation. The firm was awarded a P72.3 million ghost project and P98.9 million slope protection there, signed by former district engineer Henry Alcantara, who has admitted to the corruption scheme. Despite this, Topnotch has 68 ongoing government contracts as of February 17. There is also Phase II costing P94.06 million and 59.1% complete. These projects do not appear on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Sumbong Sa Pangulo website.
Philstar.com has sought reactions from the DPWH and LLDA.
