Senator Panfilo 'Ping' Lacson publicly appreciated Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon for his clarification concerning ghost flood control projects in Taguig City. Lacson's remarks came after Dizon's earlier denial of any existence of such projects.
Ongoing Investigations into Taguig Projects
Thank you, Sec. Vince, for the clarification. I agree that preliminary inspection findings on several questionable flood control projects in Taguig do not automatically prove a project was ‘ghosted.’
Senator Panfilo Lacson
- Dizon confirmed ongoing investigations into flagged projects.
- Initial findings do not conclude the presence of ghost projects.
Lacson warned Dizon about potential cover-ups after discovering that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) website was down during reporters' verification attempts. This raised further concerns regarding transparency.
During budget deliberations, Dizon had stated there were no ghost projects in Taguig, a claim he reiterated to Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. However, he later emphasized that his initial comments required context.
Dizon explained that his response was based on a specific question about conclusively proven ghost projects nationwide. He clarified that, while there are no confirmed ghost projects in Taguig, investigations are still underway.
He noted, 'We should not jump to conclusions yet because the investigation is still ongoing.' The DPWH is validating several projects flagged as potentially irregular, which could affect future infrastructure development.