DA Sec. Laurel flags ghost farm-to-market road projects in Davao Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte

Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has identified "ghost" or non-existent farm-to-market road (FMR) projects in Davao Occidental and Zamboanga del Norte.

These anomalous projects, identified in 2021 and 2022, were discovered during an initial audit ordered by Laurel.

In Zamboanga del Norte, one identified project involved an unfinished and unusable road.

Secretary Laurel stated that the scale of these ghost projects appears limited in the overall scope of DA infrastructure initiatives.

The DA has initiated a comprehensive audit of FMRs from 2021 to the present, and the findings will be reported to President Marcos Jr.

These revelations come amid ongoing concerns over possible corruption and mismanagement in multibillion-peso flood control projects, which have implicated lawmakers and government personnel.