Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has called on farmers, local governments and citizens to help monitor the construction of farm-to-market roads (FMRs), warning that inefficiencies and corruption in rural infrastructure continue to hinder food production and suppress farmer incomes.
To tighten oversight, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is preparing to launch an “FMR Watch” platform where the public can upload photos, report project progress, and flag issues directly from construction sites.
“We will do a number of things like the FMR Watch website, wherein our netizens, ordinary citizens or local government officials can help monitor projects and upload photos so we at the DA can track their progress, or lack thereof,” Tiu Laurel said.
The DA will also build a portal where stakeholders can see the exact location of the road projects so they can check and inspect the FMR.
“We need everyone’s help to monitor these FMR projects to ensure they are done properly and at the fastest possible time. These initiatives will help keep everyone honest and ensure public funds do not end up in unscrupulous hands,” the DA secretary said, noting that broad participation is crucial to prevent abuses.
Beginning in 2026, responsibility for developing FMRs will shift back to the DA from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The DPWH is currently facing corruption allegations involving hundreds of billions of pesos in substandard, incomplete, or non-existent flood-control projects.
The DA estimates the country needs around 131,000 kilometers of FMRs, but more than 60,000 kilometers remain unbuilt, which, at current funding levels, could take decades to complete.
The agency is auditing some 5,000 kilometers of recently completed FMRs to verify whether they meet technical specifications.
To strengthen transparency, the DA has submitted to the Senate a detailed list of FMR projects, including map coordinates, for inclusion in the 2026 General Appropriations Act.
