CITY OF BALIWAG—Local officials and residents are also blind on the flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the city particularly in Barangay Piel that was found by President Marcos as “guni-guni” or ghost project.
The President inspected a more than P55.7-million worth of reinforced concrete river wall flood control project listed in the DPWH as one of the bloated 668 flood control projects in the porvince in Purok 4, Brgy. Piel early on Wednesday morning.
The President was shocked to find out that the project was declared fully completed in June this year by the DPWH, yet no a single and slightest construction was made.
City of Baliwag Vice Mayor, former Mayor Ferdie Estrella informed NEWSCORE Bulacan that they are unaware of such project and that worst, it turned out to be just a ghost project.
He said he is one with Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando over sentiments that the Local Government Units (LGU) were kept blind by the DPWH.
He said the DPWH only talks to the barangay officials of the projects where they will implement the projects without informing them in the city level.
“Ang problema kasi yung mga national projects basta nalang nila binababa sa mga bayan ng hindi nalalaman ng mga LCE,” (The problem is that they will just bring down the national peojects in the towns without the knowledge of the Local Chief Executive (LCE), Estrella said.
Estrella said they will only discover and learn of the ongoing projects of the DPWH in their area through public postings in the street.
Also, the nine year former mayor of the city who speaks in behalf of Mayor Sonia Estrella, his mother and the whole city government of Baliwag said that the DPWH would only come to the LGU when there are concerns and problems encountered during the implementation of the project.
“They will only come to us if they encountered problems like in the right of way acquisition where they will seek our help. In many cases, if the barangay officials are reporting to us about the works of the contractors, the barangay officials will be berated by concern DPWH officials,” the now vice mayor of City of Baliwag said.
Estrella also said that he felt the high level of anger of the President because he feels the same way knowning that the people’s money were pocketed by some people.
He said the national roads in Baliwag area of Maharlika Highway which they long asked the DPWH to upgrade and to reconstruct could not be addressed, yet there are ghost projects that exist.
According to the vice mayor, the president of the Vice Mayor’s League of Bulacan, they will propose a city council resolution that will require both government and private companies to inform them of the projects they are constructing for them to check whether be given the necessary permits and to monitor their legitimacy.
A retired judge who lives in Barangay Piel which is the site of the ghost project told NEWSCORE Bulacan that in the first place, they are not aware that the place is being flooded.
“That is at the back of our house. We are not aware that the place is being flooded. We do not experience flooding there,” she said.
“Kailangan investigahan Yan. Puros pagnanakaw na lang,” (That should be investigated. Corruption is really rampant”.
Earlier, Bocaue Mayor Eduardo Villanueva Jr., president of League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) in Bulacan signed on behalf of all the Bulacan mayors the “Mayors for Good Governance” who demand full transparency, accountability and justice on flood control projects” signed and released on Sunday by different LMP’s in the country.
The President said corresponding charges will be filed agaisnt those behind the ghost projects. He announced that he is really in anger after he discovered the ghost project.
“There, go there and you check. You will find nothing. Not a single hollow block or cement. Flood continues on the other side because no flood control project was constructed. If all this projects are properly executed or implemented, our countrymen will be unburden of the flooding problem and will even provide for irrigationan,” he said.
The project specification is the construction of a 240 meters reinforced concrete river wall February-October 2025. It was reported to have been completed in June.
The Chief Executive said that by merely signing and reporting of a completed project, those behind the ghost project already committed falsification (of public documents). He said that is already a big violation. He said all those behind will be charged of economic sabotage.
“For the big one, talagangang my thinking is very hard. Kailangan natin silang i-economic sabotage,” the President said.
He assured the rrsidents that the flood control project will be efficiently and genuinely constructed to save the residents from flooding and even water the rice farms of farmers in the town and in the adjacent town of San Luis, Pampanga.
The an unannounced inspection of the declared completed flood control project came just few days afer the President conducted a similar an unannounced inspection of flood control projects in Barangay Bulusan and Frances in Calumpit town.
