Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto bares “diploma system.”
There’s a so-called “diploma system” between contractors and some local government officials, according to Mayor Vico Sotto.
The flood control corruption came to light initially during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA). The buzz just became louder after Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto spoke about it without dropping names, but with enough hints to point the people involved.
Substandard and even “ghost” flood control projects were uncovered, with the widespread flooding in several areas of the country after just a night of rain serving as clear proof of these reports.
Currently in the middle of the spotlight are contractors Sarah and Curlee Discaya, but as the probe went on, several other officials, politicians, and contractors were dragged into the spotlight. The president even named the 15 contractors involved in anomalies worth billions of taxpayers’ money.
Recently, as the probe continues, Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto revealed the schemes that have been going on between contractors and some local government officials, elaborating on how irregularities work in the government’s infrastructure program.
According to the Pasig mayor, the “diploma system” occurs when local officials award contracts to select construction firms—the same as handing out diplomas at graduation ceremonies—without undergoing proper evaluation or bidding.
“Binibigay lang na ganun ‘yung kontrata. Basically, parang may listahan ng projects na, ‘O ito sa iyo ito. Ito, sa iyo ito,’” the Mayor said as he recalled a bribery attempt in 2019. During his early days as a new mayor, he encountered a group of people who explained how this works, and the one who is accordingly giving out “diplomas” is the mayor.
As per his words, they are very open about the matter.
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