‘Ghost,’ overpriced roads discovered in Mindanao
DAVAO CITY—More than a year after it was completed, the first span of the Tuganay Bridge along the Maharlika National Highway in Carmen, Davao del Norte, already showed cracks on its pavement and bridge approach, an inspection team who visited the site noted.
In its Sept. 25 31-page report, the Davao del Norte infrastructure and social services delivery inspection team noted that the six-lane 420 meter-long Tuganay Bridge 1 along Maharlika Highway, the road that links Davao del Norte’s capital Tagum City to Davao City, was reported to have been completed on Feb. 20 last year but was already showing cracks.
The engineers noted that the P516-million bridge was also priced 38 percent higher for every linear meter than the two-lane and 30-meter-long bridge that the provincial government built.
For transparency
Davao del Norte Gov. Edwin Jubahib had sent copies of the report to the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and other concerned government agencies to add to the growing number of infrastructure projects being investigated by the Senate blue ribbon committee for questions and alleged irregularities.
Jubahib said he endorsed the report in the interest of transparency and accountability. The province, through the Provincial Development Council and the Provincial Peace and Order Council earlier passed a resolution creating the infrastructure and social services delivery inspection team to go over infrastructure and other government projects in the province, in the light of the irregularities uncovered in infrastructure projects at the national level.
The team also noted that the second span of Tuganay Bridge 2, which was started in April this year and still ongoing, also showed some cracks on its approach. Engineers also noted signs that substandard materials were allegedly being used.
The Inquirer tried to reach the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the region for comment but the office still had to reply to the text and phone messages.
DA’s findings
Tuganay Bridges 1 and 2, which figured in the worst flooded areas of Davao del Norte last year, were only two of the 11 projects worth more than P1 billion that the inspection team visited in the province.
The team also noted among others, the P150.28-million concreting project of the Tagum to Panabo Circumferential Road; and the section connecting Malitbog, Kasilak and Consolacion in Davao del Norte, which also showed several defects barely three years after it was completed on Dec. 15, 2022. Some of the projects had suffered delays because of road right-of- way problems.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has also flagged P75 million worth of alleged “ghost” farm-to-market road (FMR)projects in Mindanao.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the alleged “ghost” FMR projects spanning 5 kilometers are located in Davao region and Zamboanga City.
“So far, these are just initial reports and the amount is not that significant in terms of the overall FMR road projects,” Tiu Laurel said in an interview with dzBB in Metro Manila on Tuesday.
Digging deeper
Tiu Laurel said these FMR projects were implemented before his term, but the DA was “digging deeper” into the issue given the involvement of “very small” contractors.
The agriculture chief said the FMR review was triggered by a report from the DA’s regional office in Davao submitted at the end of July.
However, Tiu Laurel did not provide additional information about the identity of these contractors or the exact project sites.
He clarified that such projects were part of the DA’s budget allocation under the 2025 General Appropriations Act and no budget insertions were made.
At a briefing on Tuesday, Palace press officer Claire Castro affirmed that Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon was already doing his investigation about the FMRs implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
While lodged under the DA, the FMRs—agricultural infrastructures designed to connect agricultural production areas to markets and major roads for efficient delivery of goods, and reduced transportation costs—are under the DPWH. It is in charge of the commissioning, bidding, and construction of FMRs identified and validated by the DA.
For 2026, the DA proposed a budget of P16 billion for FMRs.
Last month, the DA announced a “sweeping” audit of FMR projects covering the years 2021 to 2025 to check and resolve possible irregularities in their implementation. Tiu Laurel initiated the comprehensive review following congressional investigations involving government-funded flood control projects.
The DA chief wanted the audit of the FMRs to be completed before the end of the year, with its findings to be forwarded to the Office of the President.
“We must make sure they are done properly, that taxpayers’ money was spent to provide farmers with market access and not squandered for farm‑to‑pocket projects,” he said.
Tiu Laurel said no DA official or employee was involved based on their preliminary findings but vowed to immediately suspend any personnel found guilty of engaging in such illicit activities.
The government aims to construct 131,000 kilometers of farm-to-market roads designed to link agricultural areas with markets.
Approximately 70,000 km of these projects had been completed as of July. However, the government has around 61,000 km in backlog or pending validation.
