Photo credit: PIng Lacson

Senator Panfilo Lacson said the controversy over the alleged “ghost” flood control projects stemmed from incorrect location data, not from projects that failed to exist.

Lacson explained that hundreds of flood control projects were flagged after wrong grid coordinates were submitted to Malacañang by former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan. Several projects appeared missing in official records even though they had already been implemented on the ground.

The issue resurfaced during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, where lawmakers stressed the need for more accurate project mapping, proper tagging, and stronger verification procedures. Senators noted that faulty data had created confusion and led to premature conclusions about the projects.

To verify the situation, the DPWH conducted joint inspections with private contractors. Site visits, including those in Bulacan, confirmed that projects initially believed to be nonexistent were actually present, although some were located in areas different from what the submitted coordinates showed. These findings were later reflected in official DPWH reports.

Private contractors also clarified that they had simply followed the technical plans, drawings, and instructions provided by the DPWH. They said they had no authority to choose project locations or assign grid coordinates, and could not alter sites on their own.

In the end, the controversy showed how errors in documentation and mapping had made completed flood projects appear invisible on paper.