THE Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, led by Chair Rodante Marcoleta, is currently scrutinizing a total of 60 flood-control projects that appear to fall under the category of “ghost projects,” meaning projects that exist only on paper or are significantly incomplete despite the disbursement of funds.
During a recent hearing, Marcoleta stated that the number of projects under investigation is based on data provided by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which the committee has verified through previous hearings.
“60 projects seem to appear to be exactly as described. There are a total of 60 flood control projects,” Marcoleta said, referring to “ghost projects.”
He then cited a list of contractors that received projects suspected of being “ghosts,” including Silverwolves Construction Corporation (15 projects), Wawao Builders (6 projects), St. Timothy plus St. Matthew (4 projects), Unimax Steel (4 projects), Jagonbuild Construction Corporation (3 projects), SYMS Construction Trading (3 projects), M3 Konstract Corporation (3 projects), Darcy and Anna Builders Trading (3 projects), and MG Samidan (3 projects).
Marcoleta added that there are “several” other contractors, which he did not name, that received one flood-control project each, completing the total of 60 potential ghost projects.
The senator also expressed disappointment that former DPWH chief Manuel Bonoan, prior to his resignation, only identified two potential ghost projects despite hinting at the existence of 15 projects “without structure.”
The two projects Bonoan identified were located in Maycapiz-Taliptip River, Package B, Barangay Perez, Bulakan, Bulacan, and in Barangay Piel, Baliwag, Bulacan. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation is ongoing, with the aim of uncovering the full extent of the alleged fraud and holding those responsible accountable.
