The Department of Agriculture (DA) has ordered a comprehensive audit of all “farm-to-market road” projects undertaken since 2021, following a government probe into questionable flood-control works.
DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the audit would cover projects where the department identifies and validates the roads, while the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) handles bidding and construction.
“These roads are meant to connect production areas to markets. With what is happening now in flood-control projects, I ordered an audit of all farm-to-market road projects from 2021 to 2025,” he said in a statement Thursday.
“We must ensure these are done properly, that taxpayers’ money was spent to provide farmers with market access, and not diverted into farm-to-pocket projects,” he said.
Tiu Laurel said the audit should be completed by the end of the year, and any issues found would be reported to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The Philippines aims to build 131,000 kilometers of such roads. As of July, around 70,000 kilometers had been completed.
Tiu Laurel urged lawmakers to pass a law mandating a priority list for the projects, moving away from arbitrary site selection. He also proposed a review of the list every three years.
Funding remains a challenge, he said. The DA earmarked P16 billion for the roads in its 2026 budget, far below the P56 billion in pending requests carried over from 2025.
Tiu Laurel is also pushing for narrower, three-meter roadways to cut costs and speed up construction.
