DPWH orders issued vs officials over P96.5M ghost project

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon announced show-cause and suspension orders against Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials implicated in a P96.5 million "ghost" flood control project in Davao Occidental.

The project, awarded in 2021, was declared completed and fully paid for since 2022, but an inspection revealed construction had only recently begun.

Secretary Dizon, accompanied by Interior Secretary Benjie Magalong, expressed anger over the findings, noting that payments were made in full despite the apparent lack of work.

Dizon vowed that everyone involved, "from top to bottom," will be held accountable and that those who signed papers and authorized payments would face jail time.

He stated that show-cause orders and suspensions would be issued against the entire district engineer office of Davao Occidental, including the regional director for command responsibility.

Dizon acknowledged that ghost projects have been a systemic problem in the DPWH and emphasized the need for a cleanup.