An opposition lawmaker has called for a congressional probe into the flood control projects in Davao Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte’s district after supposedly finding that 80 out of 121 projects were either “ghost” overpriced, or redundant.

Citing findings by his office, ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tino said the flood control projects in question, along the Davao and Matina Rivers, spanned the years 2019 to 2022 and had an aggregate cost of P4.35 billion.

“Our analysis reveals a pattern of irregularities that demands explanation and accountability,” Tinio said. “There are indicators that point to ghost projects, double funding, location changes, gross overpricing, and contracts awarded without clear specifications.”

Of the 121 contracts, with a total value of P6.06 billion, 79 were identified as congressional insertions totaling P4.07 billion, according to the solon.

Among the glaring examples was the awarding of 62 contracts totaling P3.43 billion, allegedly without proper details.

Based on Tinio’s presentation, two of these flood control projects were undertaken by the Discaya-owned firms St. Timothy Construction Corp. and Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corp., amounting to P96.50 million and P90.48 million, respectively.

Of the firms that got the contracts, one was allegedly tied to Senator Bong Go, while the other was purportedly a campaign donor of Vice President Sara Duterte in 2022.