‘Ghosts’ infiltrate DA’s FMR projects

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. disclosed Monday that the Department of Agriculture has uncovered so-called “ghost” or non-existent farm-to-market road (FMR) projects, indicating that alleged anomalies previously confined to the public works sector have infiltrated the DA’s infrastructure programs.

Citing initial audit findings, Laurel disclosed before budget deliberations that the agency found a “ghost (FMR) in Davao Occidental in 2021 and 2022.” He also cited a separate finding in Zamboanga del Norte.

“We have also seen in Zamboanga del Norte — a road with an opening but no cement. We’ll just have to wait for its validation, but more or less that’s what I will report to the President,” Laurel said.

While Laurel did not provide further details, he guaranteed he would report the full findings to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

He minimized the current scale of the issue, saying, “The whole scheme of this is not that big in my opinion. But we have already seen something.”

The DA chief ordered a sweeping audit of the FMR program earlier this month, covering projects from 2021 to the present, to determine possible irregularities. The program’s implementation falls under the purview of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which is currently embroiled in corruption allegations involving ghost and substandard flood control projects.

The construction of FMRs is mandated by the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 to connect production sites to markets, aiming to reduce transport costs and increase farmer returns.

To recall, Marcos aims to build 131,410.66 kilometers of FMR during his six-year term, with the government having completed approximately 70,000 km as of July.

Laurel expects the full FMR audit to be completed before the year ends.

In other developments, Laurel said the DA is poised to receive an additional P40 billion on top of its proposed P176.7 billion budget for next year. The increase is a result of the House realigning P255 billion from the DPWH’s budget for flood control projects. The extra funds, Laurel said, “would be part of cash assistance to farmers because they incurred losses this year.”

The proposed allocation for FMR for 2026 is pegged at P16 billion, which Laurel lamented is “far shorter” than the P56 billion in pending requests from 2025.