MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Thursday, October 9, said it found 421 new ghost flood control projects out of the 8,000 it investigated with other government agencies.
The DPWH, together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Department of National Defense (DND), and the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), has been auditing the country’s flood control projects.
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“Out of the 8,000, ang na-validate na ghost ng AFP, DND at NEDA ay 421,” DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said in a press briefing.
(Out of the 8,000, the ones validated as ghosts by the AFP, DND and NEDA are 421.)
These ghost projects were found across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, with a considerable concentration in Luzon.
Dizon stressed that these are only initial figures, as there are around 100,000 projects that still need to be validated.
However, since these are ghost projects, Dizon said it would be easier to establish liability and culpability in each case. Filing cases will also be faster, he said.
Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) Executive Director Brian Hosaka said this new information will allow the commission to set a clearer direction.
ICI adviser Rodolfo Azurin is expected to look into these ghost flood control projects himself, Hosaka said.
The issue of ghost flood control projects was first raised during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address.
Marcos himself inspected several sites with alleged ghost projects, triggering parallel congressional probes. A kickback scheme was later uncovered in the province.
The kickback scheme implicated DPWH officials and several high-profile lawmakers, including Sen. Chiz Escudero and resigned congressman Zaldy Co.