MANILA – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has filed multiple complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and private contractors over alleged ghost farm-to-market road projects in Davao Occidental worth PHP94 million.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. confirmed on Thursday that eight complaints were submitted following a months-long probe into irregularities involving infrastructure projects meant for rural agricultural development.
Named respondents include several DPWH engineers and officers from the Davao Occidental district, along with private contractors allegedly involved in the execution and documentation of the projects.
The charges include graft, malversation of public funds, falsification of official records, serious dishonesty, and grave misconduct. One of the questioned projects, located in Barangay Caburan, Jose Abad Santos, was reportedly paid in full despite no actual construction work being carried out.
Investigators said official documents such as progress reports and payment certifications were allegedly fabricated to facilitate the release of government funds.
Tiu Laurel said on-site validation confirmed that the projects did not exist as reported.
He described the affected areas as having only dirt roads used by residents and tricycles, with no signs of cemented or completed infrastructure.
The DA said the projects, originally intended to reduce transportation and logistics costs for farmers, remained unimplemented despite funding allocations as early as 2021.
Additional complaints cover similar projects across several barangays in Davao Occidental, with individual contract values ranging from about PHP10 million to nearly PHP15 million. More cases, including in Albay, are expected to follow.
The agency also disclosed that it is checking possible accountability of some of its own personnel after findings of falsified documentation. Based on recent validation reports, a number of FMR projects nationwide were also found to be unimplemented.
The DA continues to oversee thousands of farm-to-market road projects across the country under a multibillion-peso infrastructure program.
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