Lacson challenges Bonoan on 'ghost' flood control projects, calls for COA audit

Senator Ping Lacson on Friday disputed Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan's claim that spurious flood control projects in Bulacan are an isolated case.

Lacson said his office has prepared case studies to prove the existence of 'ghost' flood control projects across various regions, including Pampanga, Northern Luzon, and Oriental Mindoro.

The senator urged DPWH to conduct a comprehensive internal audit of its projects and called for a fraud audit by the Commission on Audit (COA) to inform the public about how their taxes were spent.

Lacson expects the government's crackdown on bogus flood control projects to hold accountable those responsible, while Bonoan stated that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. instructed him to continue investigating these issues.

The DPWH has relieved 10 officials from its first district engineering office in Bulacan pending an investigation into ghost projects and ordered charges against a construction company involved in the Baliwag project.