At least 15 cases tied to the anomalous flood control projects are set to be referred to the Ombudsman in the next two to three weeks, but those who will be initially charged may not include any government officials yet, Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) officials said Monday, Oct. 13.
ICI Special Adviser Rodolfo Azurin and Executive Director Brian Hosaka announced in a press conference that around 15 to 20 cases may be referred to the Ombudsman in the coming weeks.
This developed after the body discovered 421 ghost or non-existent flood control projects from the 8,000 infrastructure project that it had already inspected.
But despite the multiple times that several government officials were name-dropped and linked to the anomalies during the recent congressional hearings, for now, only contractors and district engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) may be charged, according to Azurin.
“As of now, wala pa kami nakikita,” Azurin said when asked about the identities of any accountable government officials.
Part of this was because only contractors and district engineers served as signatories of the project.
“But definitely, ang umpisa kasi ng investigation dyan is doon sa baba eh, doon sa district, we just follow ‘yung paper trail siguro,” he added.
Hosaka said the body relies on evidence in recommending charges against any individual.
“Kung ano ‘yung ebidensya namin na makukuha, edi sila ‘yung malagay doon sa aming referral as persons who may be responsible,” Hosaka said.
So far, 8,000 out of 29,800 total flood control projects from 2016-2025 were inspected by the DPWH and its partner agencies, such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev).
Out of the figure, 421 turned out to be ghost projects: 261 are in Luzon, 109 in Visayas, and 51 in Mindanao. (Joseph Pedrajas(
