The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Sunday that several flood control project coordinates posted on the ‘Sumbong sa Pangulo’ website are incorrect, attributing the errors to inaccurate data submitted by the agency’s previous leadership.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said the discrepancies stemmed from wrong or imprecise coordinates provided earlier to the Palace, confirming a previous disclosure by Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Panfilo Lacson that flawed grid data had been submitted during the tenure of former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
“Totoo na merong mga maling coordinates at pagpunta mo doon sa coordinates na ’yun, wala kang makikitang proyekto. Na-experience ko mismo ’yan sa Oriental Mindoro at marami pang ganito,” Dizon said in a statement.
(It’s true that there are incorrect coordinates and when you go to those coordinates, you won’t see a project. I’ve had this happen in Mindoro and there are many more like it.)
Dizon said joint inspections conducted by the DPWH with several private contractors showed that some projects earlier flagged as “missing” do exist, but were located in areas different from those indicated by the published coordinates.
He cited site visits in Bulacan as among the inspections that verified the presence of projects whose locations did not match the reported grid data.
The findings from the inspections have been formally reported and submitted by the DPWH, the agency said.
DPWH is continuing to reconcile and validate records to ensure the accuracy of information related to flood control projects, including correcting coordinates reflected in official reports.
Last week, Lacson said faulty coordinates caused completed flood control projects to appear missing from official databases despite their existence on the ground.
The issue was revisited during a recent Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, where lawmakers stressed the need for accurate geographic data, proper project mapping and stricter verification procedures.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “DPWH confirms mapping errors in flood control projects”
