DPWH finds 421 ghost flood control projects

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has identified 421 'ghost' flood control projects out of an initial 8,000 inspected nationwide.

These inspections were carried out by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Department of National Defense (DND), and the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev).

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon reported these initial findings, noting that some of these phantom projects were linked to contractors previously involved in other irregular flood control projects.

The ghost projects were found across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with a considerable concentration in Luzon.

Dizon stressed that these are only initial figures, as around 100,000 projects still need to be validated.

He added that establishing liability and culpability, as well as filing cases for these ghost projects, would be faster.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) stated that this new information will allow the commission to set a clearer direction for its investigation.