SIXTEEN out of the sixty-one infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Las Piñas City this year were uncovered as allegedly ghost or unfinished, Las Piñas Lone District Rep. Mark Anthony Santos revealed yesterday.
Santos said DPWH Undersecretary for Technical Services Ador Canlas confirmed that the 61 projects include eight flood control initiatives in Las Piñas worth about ₱416 million for 2025 alone.
“These ghost and piecemeal projects are a blatant misuse of public funds and a betrayal of the people’s trust,” Santos said. “I am calling on the Commission on Audit to conduct a full audit and hold accountable those responsible for this negligence and possible corruption,” he said.
The lawmaker also discovered that the multi-million-peso projects were largely “cornered” by only four to five contractors, reportedly allies and relatives of powerful local politicians for decades.
One of the identified “ghost” projects is the ₱65.4-million rehabilitation of the controversial C-5 Road Extension in Barangay Manuyo Dos, awarded to Zero One Construction and Trading Inc./Omnicon Builders.
The project, under the DPWH Las Piñas–Muntinlupa District Engineering Office, was scheduled to begin on February 12, 2025 and be completed by April 12, 2025. However, records show zero percent accomplishment.
Santos questioned why the C-5 Road Extension continues to receive the largest DPWH allocations despite the absence of a clear plan or actual projects in the area.
He also learned that another ₱94 million was allocated this year for the C-5 Diversion Road, awarded to I&E Construction Inc. The project, scheduled from February 12 to October 2025, currently shows a 40.87% slippage.
“In the past year, the national government has borrowed and spent billions of pesos on four major projects along and around the C-5 Extension Road. Yet, to this day, funds continue to be released—money that ordinary taxpayers like Juan de la Cruz are forced to shoulder,” he pointed out.
Another “ghost project” awarded to Zero One Construction is the ₱28.9-million construction of a multi-purpose building in Barangay Talon 1. The contract took effect on January 31, 2025 and was set to expire on August 28, 2025, yet it remains with zero accomplishment to date.
The Las Piñas–Muntinlupa District Engineering Office, then headed by dismissed District Engineer Isabelo Baleros, also wasted ₱7.8 million for the rehabilitation of a multi-purpose building in Barangay Pamplona 3 after Zero One Construction abandoned the project, which recorded zero accomplishment from January 31 until May 30, 2025.
The Deputy Majority Floor Leader also labeled the ₱114.9-million by-pass and diversion road project along the Alabang-Zapote Diversion Road (from Alabang-Zapote Flyover to C-5) as a “ghost project.”
Santos said the project, awarded to I&E Construction Corp. headed by Carlo Aguilar, nephew of former Senator Cynthia Villar, recorded only 0.50% accomplishment as of June 2025, according to DPWH Undersecretary Canlas.
Aside from I&E Construction, Aguilar also serves as managing officer of Omnicon Builders/Motiontrade Development Corp., which holds active DPWH contracts for various projects in Las Piñas and nearby provinces.
“When only a handful of contractors corner multi-million-peso projects, and these contractors are linked to powerful politicians, we have a system that prioritizes connections over competence and public service,” he added.
