Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson thanked Public Works Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon for clarifying that flood control projects in Taguig City remain under investigation for alleged irregularities.
Lacson said Dizon’s clarification was important because preliminary inspection findings involving several questionable projects do not, by themselves, establish that the projects were ghost projects. At the same time, he cautioned against concluding that no ghost projects exist while investigations are still underway.
The senator’s remarks followed Dizon’s clarification that the Department of Public Works and Highways had flagged several projects in Taguig and submitted an initial report to the Office of the Ombudsman for further validation. The DPWH is awaiting the Ombudsman’s final report and action.
Dizon’s clarification came days after he made a categorical statement during a Senate subcommittee hearing that there were no ghost projects in Taguig. Lacson had questioned that statement after reviewing DPWH inspection reports that raised concerns about several projects declared completed but whose physical presence could not be verified by inspection teams.
Among the projects cited by Lacson was a slope-protection project along the Taguig River. He also pointed to DPWH findings involving billing photographs that appeared potentially similar across different projects and said some inspection teams encountered difficulties validating projects because newer structures covered the areas being examined.
Lacson stressed that the findings still require proper validation and investigation before definitive conclusions can be made. He said the process should determine whether the questioned projects were actually implemented, whether documentation accurately reflected work on the ground, and whether any irregularities occurred.
The developments come amid a broader government investigation into alleged irregularities in flood-control projects. The Taguig projects are among those being reviewed as authorities examine project implementation, documentation and possible discrepancies in infrastructure records.
For now, the DPWH investigation and the Ombudsman’s review remain ongoing, leaving the final determination on the questioned Taguig projects subject to further validation and official findings.
