La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V on Sunday assured that there are no ghost projects or substandard flood control works in his legislative district, saying all infrastructure projects have been closely monitored, properly implemented, and completed to standard.
He said all public funds in his district have been used transparently and with accountability.
“No ghost projects in my district and in La Union, as well as in the entire region. No failed flood control. All projects you see can be used by the people. These are not fabricated. This is concrete service,” he emphasized.
“It is not just the DPWH that is watching. We ourselves, along with barangay and local officials, check to see if the work is done properly. If something goes wrong, we take immediate action. That is why it is absolutely impossible for a substandard project to slip through our fingers,” Ortega pointed out.
Reacting to claims that several lawmakers have undue influence over contractors, Ortega underscored that such accusations are unfounded and often fueled by misinformation.
“We do not choose the contractors. Our role as congressmen is to bring the concerns of our people to the government. If granted, the DPWH does the implementation. The process is clear,” the lawmaker said.
“We see a lot of slander on social media. All congressmen are being besmirched. There is no basis for it. It is all intrigue. Even the innocent ones are implicated. As for us in La Union, our record is clean, and there are no anomalies in the projects’ district,” he said.
“If it is investigated, anytime. We are not hiding anything. All we want is for the people to see that the public funds are really coming back to them,” Ortega added.
