Inspectors from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported no signs of “ghost” projects during a series of flood control inspections in Ilocos Norte on Thursday.
ICI special adviser Rodolfo Azurin said the team’s initial assessments showed that the projects visited were physically present and operational. “So far, it’s okay, because we saw that in the projects we went to, at least, no ghosts were seen,” Azurin said in in Inquirer.net report.
The inspections, conducted with DPWH Undersecretary Arthur Bisnar, began near Bongo Bridge in Nueva Era, where the two consulted DPWH regional engineers about the scope and progress of the flood control works. They also evaluated another project along Sinigbit Creek in the same municipality.
Two additional sites in Vintar were reviewed later in the day, joined by Vintar Mayor Richard Degala and District Engineer Glenn Miguel. Local DPWH officials confirmed they would turn over complete project plans and documentation to assist investigators.
Bisnar reiterated the department’s commitment to transparency, noting that the ICI will have access to all necessary records. “This full access is not only at the central office, but also at our regional offices and then the district engineering offices,” he said.
The inspections form part of a nationwide probe into alleged multibillion-peso irregularities in infrastructure projects.
