The Department of Agriculture (DA) has flagged incomplete or ‘ghost’ farm-to-market road projects in two provinces so far, as part of its ongoing audit of infrastructure programs, amid concerns over possible corruption and mismanagement in multibillion-peso flood control projects.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said yesterday two anomalous projects were identified in Davao Occidental.
‘It was two, in 2021 and 2022. We have not seen any recent projects, just those two,’ Tiu Laurel told reporters in a chance interview at the House of Representatives.
He noted that in the overall scope of DA infrastructure initiatives, the scale of the issue was relatively small.
Another project was spotted in Zamboanga del Norte, where a road remains unfinished and unusable.
Tiu Laurel did not provide details, such as the cost or value of the projects, noting instead they are still undergoing validation.
He said the findings will be reported to President Marcos amid the ongoing Senate inquiry on flood control projects that were either poorly built or overpriced, allowing officials and contractors to pocket kickbacks.
The revelations have implicated several lawmakers and government personnel, sparking public outrage and calls for accountability.
At the center of the controversy are billionaire contractors Sarah and Pacifico Discaya, who have since admitted to bribing lawmakers and officials at the Department of Public Works and Highways with hundreds of billions of pesos to secure massive contracts.
Several officials have been dragged into the mess, including former House member Zaldy Co and speaker Martin Romualdez as well as Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva and Chiz Escudero along with former senators Nancy Binay and Bong Revilla.