Reina Mercedes defends P30M projects amid ghost project allegations

The municipal government of Reina Mercedes, Isabela, has denied allegations that infrastructure projects funded by P30 million in tobacco excise tax revenues were ghost projects, presenting completed structures to counter questions raised by Vice Mayor Harold Respicio.

Architect Marcelino Argonza of the Municipal Engineering Office presented several infrastructure projects funded under the 2023 allocation, including a box culvert, concrete pavement, streetlights, solar-powered lights and a retaining wall.

The presentation followed a video released by Respicio showing projects he questioned after Palace Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro challenged him to substantiate his allegations.

Argonza said the P30-million allocation covered a box culvert and concrete pavement connecting the municipal hall to the national highway, along with lighting facilities installed along the road.

He explained that the area was previously impassable because of its depth, requiring substantial earth filling before the road could be constructed.

According to Argonza, the site was more than three meters deep, while the road extended approximately 100 meters, with 50 meters on each side.

He added that the solar-powered lights and other lighting fixtures were included in the project budget and were being used by residents who exercise and jog in the area during the evening.

Another infrastructure project presented by the engineering office was a 200-meter retaining wall, along with a road and lighting facilities connecting the national highway to the public market and transport terminal.

Argonza said the retaining wall was necessary to support the two-story public market and protect the building and people using the surrounding facilities from potential ground movement or collapse.

He stressed that the structure needed to be sturdy enough to support the building above it and ensure public safety.

Argonza maintained that the projects could not be considered ghost projects because the infrastructure had been constructed and was already being used by residents.

He also explained that a ghost project generally refers to an infrastructure undertaking declared completed in official records despite being nonexistent, unstarted or substantially incomplete.

However, the engineering office's presentation did not address all the projects questioned by Respicio.

The municipal government did not discuss the Lagoon project or the bridge reportedly damaged and closed to vehicular traffic, which the vice mayor had also questioned over allegations of being ghost or substandard projects.

The condition of the bridge and the status of the other questioned projects were not clarified in Argonza's presentation.