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During the Senate Committee on Finance (Sub-Committee A) budget briefing for the Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano questioned DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon on the status of the agency's ongoing investigation into so-called "ghost projects" under the flood control program.
According to Secretary Dizon, around 10 cases have been conclusively identified as ghost projects nationwide so far, based on the department's ongoing investigation. When Senator Cayetano specifically asked whether any ghost projects had been found in Taguig City, Dizon said that based on their investigation, none have been confirmed there to date.
When pressed further, Dizon deferred to an official identified in the hearing as "Bernabe," noting that this official has the exact figures. That official then confirmed that 107 projects in Taguig have been verified, with all 107 reportedly showing actual accomplishments on the ground.
On the broader nationwide numbers, Dizon reported that 19 contractors have either been criminally charged or referred for prosecution, with cases covering both criminal and civil liability — civil cases involving damages or repayment, and criminal cases involving penalties tied to loss of license and disqualification from participating in future government projects. Separately, 11 contractors have already been blacklisted, which Dizon described as the highest level of administrative penalty a contractor can receive.
The exchange also touched on the total number of contractors registered for government infrastructure projects, with a figure of roughly 30,000 to 35,000 contractors referenced from a previous hearing, though this portion of the discussion was cut off in the available transcript before further clarification was given.
Source: Senate of the Philippines, Committee on Finance (Sub-Committee A), FY 2027 Proposed Budget Briefing of the DPWH, livestreamed September 25, 2026.