The Department of Agriculture has discovered alleged “ghost” farm-to-market roads worth P75 million in Mindanao, according to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. The roads, which were part of a project from 2021 to 2022, were found to be isolated cases in Region XI and Zamboanga City, with a total length of around five kilometers and a value of P75 million. Tiu Laurel stated that the project was not an “insertion” in the budget and that the contractor involved was not one of the 15 huge contractors that bagged most flood control projects in the country. The DA chief has already informed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. about the matter and will submit a formal report on October 1. The administration is looking into the alleged “ghost” farm-to-market road projects, with Tiu Laurel having initiated a sweeping audit of all FMR projects since 2021, which is targeted to be completed by the end of the year.
