‘Working on the data was the easier part of the investigation…. The harder part was to look for sources who would go on record and prove the closeness between the Dutertes and the Escandors.’
Or is this just an excuse for people who are not ready to confront the reality that their “idols” are not infallible?
Hello, I am Jairo Bolledo, the reporter behind Rappler’s investigation into the Genesis88 construction firm that bagged most of the flood control projects in the entire Davao Region.
Businessman Glenn Escandor, a longtime friend of the Dutertes, owns the said firm. The projects, amounting to P2.9 billion, were all in Davao City — Duterte turf.
For the 2025 elections, my newsroom assigned me to cover the Davao Region. That was when I got familiarized with how the powerful Duterte family runs their bailiwick, and with the key people that benefit from their power.
Thus, when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. launched his website of flood control project contractors, my instant reaction was to look for the businesses closely tied to the Dutertes.
We were able to gather information regarding the contracts bagged by CLTG Builders – owned by Senator Bong Go’s father – with the firms owned by the controversial Discaya couple.
After the CLTG story, I proceeded to my investigation into Genesis88. To prove my hunch that this firm was a top contractor, I analyzed our existing database of contractors.
When I saw that the firm indeed bagged most of the projects in the region, I started looking into the other nitty-gritty details, such as the projects’ locations, the amount of contracts, and the firm’s background.
I must say, working on the data was the easier part of the investigation (though still taxing). The harder part was to look for sources who would go on record and prove the closeness between the Dutertes and the Escandors.
There were available secondary sources online, which I cited to prove the ties between the two families, but I did not stop there. In my mind, I needed a “people trail” (interviews) to solidify this aspect of my report.
I stumbled upon sources privy to the ties between the two families. These reliable informants — having the heart for accountability — willingly shared what they knew.
After I finished my story, I reached out to Escandor’s companies to request an interview, or at the very least a statement that we could include in the story. I did the same to the offices of Vice President Sara Duterte and Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte.
Only Pulong has responded so far, but Rappler will update our story once we hear from the Vice President and Escandor.
Just like what happened after the publication of our Bong Go story, the Escandor report triggered a wave of comments defending the Dutertes and their allies.
Some of these supporters claim that our newsroom is selective in choosing the contractors that we probe, that we are only focused on probing the Dutertes and their allies.
This is false.
Our newsroom had published a number of stories about other contractors and their ties to lawmakers even before we came up with our CLTG and Escandor stories.
Senior reporter Lian Buan had written stories about politicians having ties to local contractors in Ilocos Norte and Isabela, among others.
Multimedia reporter Dwight de Leon had exposed the contracts bagged by the firms owned by Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co and his brother even before the issue of flood control projects took center stage.
We have a live map showing “politicontractors” — public officials known to have links with contractors — and their domains, based on the reports by Rappler and other credible media organizations.
We also have an internal list of congressmen and women about whom we have received tips from our sources and the community. We pursue solid leads as they come along, as our manpower and resources are limited. We prioritize stories according to the public’s need for it.
Another reality is that investigative journalism is demanding — in terms of both time and money.
This is where we need you, readers.
Your sign-up for Rappler Plus membership or donation to our investigative fund would help us sustain our ongoing efforts to hold corrupt actors to account. Your support to Rappler is a support to our nation’s fight against corruption.
