Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto has vowed to uphold transparency by establishing an independent team to monitor and evaluate both national and local infrastructure projects, although no ghost projects have been reported in the city since he assumed office in 2019.
He made the statement after receiving documents from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Thursday, Sept. 25, through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
“To be fair, since 2019, I have never heard of any ghost project or anything like that within Pasig City’s jurisdiction. But (1), we will make sure; and (2), we will also check for quality and effectiveness,” the mayor said.
Sotto said the volunteer engineers he had spoken with, along with a partner government-monitoring non-government organization (NGO), were eager to conduct on-site inspections, but he advised them to postpone fieldwork until after the typhoon.
Once fieldwork begins, Sotto said their initial focus would be on DPWH flood control projects, as this is what the public has been asking about.
“But our real goal is to create an independent team (NGO-type) of experts and volunteers in Pasig that will monitor and evaluate infrastructure projects… not only of DPWH but also of the LGU!” the mayor said.
“This is the next level of our Local Government Clean-up Drive that started in 2019,” he added.
On Sept. 23, the Mayor for Good Governance (M4GG), of which Sotto is also a member, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to strengthen efforts in investigating anomalous infrastructure projects nationwide.
M4GG said it will also establish a Whistleblower Hotline to serve as a channel for government officials, contractors, and insiders to provide vital information on anomalies. (Richielyn Canlas)
