At least 421 of around 8,000 flood control projects inspected by government agencies have been confirmed as “ghost” or non-existent, according to Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, October 9, at the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), Dizon said the inspections were carried out by the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev). The effort forms part of a broader initiative to verify ongoing and completed government infrastructure projects.
“These are actual physical validations of project sites,” Dizon explained. “We’ve already received reports covering about 8,000 sites. That’s still small compared to the entire universe of government infrastructure projects, but it’s a start.”
He noted that the AFP and PNP conducted the inspections even before a formal partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was established. “We’re going to formalize the agreement with the PNP and the AFP,” he added.
The inspection teams are focusing on provinces with high infrastructure spending to determine which projects are real, incomplete, or entirely absent. According to Dizon, the results of the ongoing validations will be presented to the ICI through Public Works Undersecretary Arthur Bisnar.
“There are always trust issues in any large bureaucracy, including the DPWH,” Dizon said, stressing the importance of independent verification by institutions not directly involved in project implementation.
Lacson: Corruption is systemic
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, reacting to Dizon’s revelations, said he had reviewed “classified” DPWH documents that exposed how deep corruption runs in infrastructure projects.
“Reviewing the piles of ‘classified’ DPWH documents which I shared with my staff, we all wondered aloud if the more appropriate question to ask is, ‘Who is not?’ rather than, ‘Who is guilty?’” Lacson wrote on X. “So sad to realize how widely corrupt our government infrastructure program has gone.”
Leviste urges Dizon to lower project costs
Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste also called on Dizon to reduce DPWH project costs by 25 percent to eliminate kickbacks and save around ₱400 billion.
“In the time of DPWH Secretary (Rogelio) Babes Singson, he lowered prices by 10 percent before approving projects. Secretary Dizon has committed to do the same, but overpricing is now even worse,” Leviste said in a privilege speech.
“I commend Secretary Dizon for his steps to clean up DPWH. Corruption won’t be solved overnight, but if he wants to cut kickbacks immediately, he can lower prices by 25 percent,” he added.
Leviste stressed that inflated project budgets are the root of corruption within the department, enabling 20–30 percent kickbacks.
PhilSA, GEP join forces for mapping and monitoring
Meanwhile, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the Geodetic Engineers of the Philippines (GEP) have signed an agreement to advance the use of satellite and drone technology for geospatial mapping.
PhilSA Deputy Director General Ariel Blanco and GEP national president Romero Versoza inked the deal on October 7 to enhance the country’s capacity for disaster risk reduction, environmental protection, and sustainable land management.
The partnership aims to merge space-based and ground-level data to produce accurate, data-driven insights for national development planning and policy formulation.
