‘No “ghost” projects in Leyte’ 4th District’

Local

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Leyte 4th District Engineering Office defended its flood control and port projects in Albuera, Merida, and Matag-ob, saying they are legitimate and ongoing despite mounting allegations of “ghost” projects in Leyte’s fourth district.

Officer-in-charge District Engineer Peter Scheler Soco dismissed the accusations, stressing that all projects are real and at various stages of completion.

“We have nothing to hide. All our projects undergo the proper processes, including planning, funding, and third-party monitoring. These are not ghost projects,” he said, adding that the office is prepared to face any congressional inquiry.

On Thursday, September 11, officials of the district office inspected four projects in Leyte’s fourth district—three flood control structures and one fish port.

In Albuera, Mayor Kerwin Espinosa accused the agency of reporting contradictory accomplishment figures.

He pointed to the P96-million Benolho Flood Control Project, which DPWH listed at 40.02 percent in March 2024 but later marked as “completed” by October of the same year.

Calling it a “ghost project,” Espinosa posted video footage of a riverbank with no visible structure.

DPWH countered that the project was designed to protect only one side of the river and said Espinosa’s footage showed the opposite bank.

The agency maintained the structure was completed ahead of its January 2025 target.

Espinosa also questioned the Albuera Port, noting earlier reports that placed its completion at 80 percent compared to DPWH’s current figure of 51 percent.

The P17-million port, intended as a docking site for fisherfolk, began in November 2024 but was suspended in January 2025 over right-of-way and mangrove issues. Its permit expired on May 7, 2025.

In Merida, Mayor Rolando Villasencio flagged the P95-million flood control project at Macatol Bridge.

DPWH documents reflected it as fully completed by July 2025, but Villasencio said the structure remained under construction during an August inspection.

Soco explained that the discrepancy came from the agency’s Project Contract Management Application (PCMA) system, which automatically recorded completion because the requested extension had not been uploaded by the central office.

He clarified that actual progress was over 80 percent. Originally scheduled for December 2024, the project was delayed by bad weather and the late approval of a tree-cutting permit.

In Matag-ob, a P48.2-million riverside flood control wall partially collapsed on August 25 after days of heavy rain, reducing its completion rate from 94 percent to 80 percent.

The project, initially set for completion on September 28, 2025, was extended to November 27 due to the weather damage.

Earlier, Matag-ob Mayor Bernardino Tacoy criticized the project as substandard and claimed his office was not consulted.

This led Rep. Richard Gomez of Leyte’s 4th District to answer during a priviledge speech in Congress, presenting a January 16 courtesy call with Tacoy and DPWH personnel as proof of coordination.

Gomez also clarified that the wall’s failure was due to an unfinished component called the “lock,” not poor materials.

He noted the project had secured a Certificate of Non-Coverage from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources before work began.

Soco stressed that all projects in the district undergo planning, funding approval, and third-party evaluation before implementation.

He said site conditions and technical setbacks explain delays, not misuse of funds. He also acknowledged that the PCMA’s real-time figures often do not match on-ground progress until central office updates are processed.

The district engineer said his office remains open to scrutiny from mayors, legislators, and even Congress.

He emphasized that transparency is a guiding principle and reiterated that the contested projects in Albuera, Merida, and Matag-ob are legitimate public works under continuous monitoring.(MyTVCebu)