MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has cleared Taguig City of allegations involving non-existent infrastructure undertakings, stating that an internal inquiry yielded no evidence of ghost projects within the locality.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon made the clarification on Friday, September 25, during Senate deliberations on the agency’s proposed 2027 budget, responding directly to inquiries from Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano regarding their political stronghold.
“Meron bang ghost projects sa Taguig?” Cayetano asked.
“Sa aming imbestigasyon, wala po,” Dizon replied.
DPWH Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III further stated that all 107 agency projects situated in Taguig have logged verified physical progress.
The agency added that details of its investigative findings remain open to media scrutiny and public inspection.
“So klaro iyon ha,” Cayetano remarked following Dizon’s confirmation.
The questioning stems from earlier claims raised by Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, who submitted findings to the Office of the Ombudsman alleging that billions of pesos in public funds allocated for Taguig’s flood control and infrastructure were potentially substandard or non-existent.
Cayetano firmly rejected the claims, framing the allegations as a politically motivated attack.
Addressing broader measures against erring infrastructure firms, Dizon reported that 19 contractors associated with the flood-control probe have faced criminal and civil charges or references, while 11 firms have been blacklisted—the agency’s highest administrative penalty.