Local government officials in Bulacan have asked the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to conduct an investigation into at least 10 alleged ghost flood control projects in Paombong town.
Lawyer and Municipal Council Secretary Izay Nunag stated that they have submitted a report along with supporting documents to the ICI for examination of these ghost projects, which are reported to cost P700 million.
The officials are seeking accountability and transparency regarding the allocation of funds, as they believe that the projects, which were never made, have severely impacted the community.
“We have submitted a report regarding the purported flood control projects. The initiative was led by members of the Sanggunian Bayan, under the direction of our municipal vice mayor. We have already conducted an ocular inspection, and all reports from the committee hearings have been forwarded to the ICI,” Nunag said, expressing hope that the investigation will prompt suitable actions against those accountable.
Nunag indicated that the ‘projects’ covering the year 2022 to 2025 fell under the jurisdiction of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara.
She further noted that these projects were listed among the questionable projects highlighted on the “Sumbong Sa Pangulo” website.
According to Nunag, their inquiries and site inspections revealed that the projects do not exist.
“Our reports have been acknowledged by the ICI, and we are proceeding to the DPWH main office and regional office. We will forward the same documents to the DPWH that we provided to the ICI. This is to help our town. We are a second-class municipality, and you may not have heard much about us,” she said.
“This is our initiative. As we understand, the legislative body is part of the local government unit, the municipal council, which possesses the authority to inquire or conduct inquiries in aid of legislation. Thus, this has become a means for the municipal council to assist and investigate the alleged flood control projects,” she added.
Nunag said they sought assistance from the ICI to address the problem and clarify the actual status of the flood control projects in their town.
Asked about flooding issues in Paombong, Nunag said, “It’s not just every year. It happens multiple times within a single month.”
