MANILA, Philippines — Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan has confirmed “ghost” flood control projects in Bulacan worth billions of pesos that were supposedly implemented from 2021 to 2022.
Bonoan made the revelation during the Senate blue ribbon committee public hearing on massive flooding and the government’s flood control program.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada asked Bonoan whether he believed in the existence of ghost flood control projects.
“In all honesty, I think so. Yes. As mentioned in my statements there are district offices that try to continue the validation. Let me just point out that many of these projects I have mentioned, some of the projects [were] implemented in 2021 -2022,” Bonoan testified.
Estrada said his office received reports that there were ghost projects in Calumpit, Malolos and Hagonoy in Bulacan. He said that the Wawao Builders was supposed to implement these flood control projects.
Bonoan confirmed the senator’s claim. Asked how would he know that these were ghost projects, Bonoan said, “There are people who can testify. There are projects that we are extensively validating.”
Wawao Builders owner Mark Allan Arevalo has been invited to the inquiry but failed to attend.
Bonoan said Wawao Builders cornered 85 flood control projects in Bulacan amounting to P5.9 billion.
