DA tightens checks amid P94M ghost road scandal

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is tightening oversight of farm-to-market road projects after errors surfaced in its proposed 2027 budget, raising fresh concerns over infrastructure spending following the discovery of P94 million worth of alleged ghost road projects in Davao Occidental.

In a statement Tuesday, the DA said eight of the 1,669 project entries reviewed, or less than one percent, contained incorrect coordinates that placed the proposed roads outside their intended locations.

The discrepancies were flagged by civil society groups, including the People’s Budget Coalition, BetterGov.ph and BistoProyekto, during the Senate hearing on the agency’s proposed 2027 budget.

The DA attributed the discrepancies to encoding and typographical errors, including one or two mistyped digits in project coordinates.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. ordered a thorough review of project documents and validation procedures to ensure that public funds are spent on their intended projects.

“If there are errors in the technical descriptions, whether typographical or otherwise, we will take responsibility and correct them. Public funds must go to the projects they are intended for,” Tiu Laurel said.

Following the Senate hearing, Agriculture Undersecretary Arrey Perez met with civil society representatives to examine the discrepancies and enlist their help in independently verifying project coordinates.

“This review is not only about correcting individual entries. We are looking at the process itself, so we can close gaps, improve validation and prevent the same errors from recurring,” Tiu Laurel said.

The DA also ordered stronger geotagging, internal checks, and third-party validation through its FMR Watch portal, which allows the public to monitor project locations, contractors, and construction progress.

The tighter monitoring comes as the DA investigates irregularities in farm-to-market road projects implemented in previous years under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The Office of the Ombudsman recently suspended several DPWH officials over P94 million worth of alleged ghost road projects in Davao Occidental following complaints filed by the DA.

According to the agency, some projects were declared fully completed and paid despite remaining unfinished or showing little evidence of actual construction.

In one case, a project reported as 100 percent complete remained under construction despite full payment being released in 2023. Another project had no graveled pathways, according to the DA’s internal audit.

“Public funds must be backed by accurate project information. That is our accountability to Congress, our farmers and fisherfolk, and the Filipino people,” Tiu Laurel said.

The implementation of farm-to-market road projects was recently returned to the DA after more than a decade under the DPWH.