MANILA — Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon said questionable flood control projects in Taguig City remain under investigation and could not yet be cleared of irregularities, as he denied any attempt to cover up anomalies flagged by his own department.
Dizon clarified that inspection findings, including a Taguig River slope protection project whose billing photographs carried geotagged coordinates pointing to Leyte, still have to undergo further validation before investigators can determine whether any project was fictitious or “ghost.”
“Hinding-hindi natin gagawin yun, hinding-hindi ko papayagan yun, no way. No way tayong magko-cover up. Kung saan ang ebidensya papunta, doon tayo pupunta,” he told the media.
The DPWH chief also pointed to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s position that accountability should apply even to individuals close to the administration.
“Ang Pangulo mismo pinandigan niya yun, kahit sarili niyang pinsan nakakulong ngayon. Kailangan follow the leader tayo,” added Dizon.
Dizon’s clarification came after Sen. Panfilo Lacson warned that officials could face criminal liability if they attempted to conceal anomalies in the questioned Taguig projects. Lacson later acknowledged Dizon’s clarification, agreeing that preliminary findings did not automatically establish that a project was ghost while stressing that investigators also could not yet definitively conclude that no ghost projects existed in the city.
The controversy erupted after Dizon told a Senate budget hearing that the DPWH had not found ghost projects in Taguig. DPWH Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III said the department had listed 107 projects in the city, all with documented accomplishments.
Lacson questioned that assertion after citing DPWH inspection reports flagging several projects for further scrutiny.
Among them was a slope protection project along the Taguig River whose billing photographs contained geotagged coordinates reportedly placing them in Leyte, about 600 kilometers from Taguig. The questioned project was awarded to St. Timothy Construction, a company owned by the Discaya family.
Dizon acknowledged the discrepancy but stressed that it was not sufficient by itself to establish that the project was fictitious.
“Preliminary ito lahat, first site investigation pa lang. Kailangan yan i-validate,” said Dizon.
When pressed on whether he could definitively rule out ghost projects in Taguig, Dizon said the investigation remained unfinished and no final determination had been reached.
He later explained that his earlier statement referred specifically to the 10 projects nationwide that the DPWH had conclusively identified as ghost projects. None of those 10 was located in Taguig, he said.
Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano subsequently challenged Dizon over his earlier categorical statement, saying the DPWH should allow the investigation to establish the facts before drawing conclusions.
“Nasaan ngayon ang paninindigan mo na paulit-ulit mong sasabihin sa amin na hinalungkat niyo na ang lahat ng project, walang ghost?” said Cayetano during a social media livestream.
Cayetano said projects or individuals should not be declared guilty without sufficient evidence, while irregularities uncovered during an investigation should still be properly verified.
“Sabi ng Pangulo, wala rin sasantuhin. Pero sabi din ng Pangulo, wala ka rin uusigin na inosente,” he added.
The senator also argued that inaccurate project coordinates do not automatically establish that a project exists only on paper, noting that DPWH had acknowledged problems with location data.
“Kaya nga hindi kita tinanong kung may irregularities kasi alam ko yun, tinitignan niyo pa,” he said.
“Yung coordinates, ikaw na nagsabi e, buong Pilipinas may mali-mali sa coordinates. Kaya anong sabi po nung umpisa? Mahigit 400 ang ghost. Ilan ang nakita niyong ghost? 10 pa lang. Bakit? Kasi mali-mali ang coordinates. Nung tinignan niyo, hindi ghost,” Cayetano added.
Cayetano further claimed that he had previously brought the involvement of firms owned by the Discaya family in Taguig projects to Dizon’s attention, even before the broader flood control controversy emerged.
“Sino bang nagsumbong sa inyo na Discaya? Hindi ba ako? Kasama mo pa ako nung binista yung isang project ng Discaya,” he said.
“Oh bakit? Hindi ko na muna sasabihin ngayon yan kasi kasama mo rin ang nagpasok ng mga Discaya diba?” he added.
The DPWH investigation into the questioned Taguig projects remains ongoing, with the department saying inspection findings must be cross-checked against project documents and verified on site before final conclusions are reached./PN
