City Hall flags 5 ‘ghost projects,’ but records show activity

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Five flood control projects in Iloilo City were flagged as alleged “ghost projects” by City Hall after a local inspection failed to locate them, citing either vague contract locations or non-existent site evidence.

Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu identified the five projects in an infrastructure status report submitted on Sept. 18 to Mayors for Good Governance (M4GG), as part of her compliance as an observer-status member.

The Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) reported that the city currently has 17 ongoing infrastructure projects since 2024 with a total allocation of PHP 1.84 billion.

The inspection was conducted by city offices, including the Office of the Building Official, City Environment and Natural Resources Office, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Key agencies such as ICDEO, Department of Public Works and Highways Region 6, and the Commission on Audit were not involved in the on-site inspections.

The five flagged projects include:
• Contract ID 25GJ0019 – Construction of Flood Mitigation Structure and Promenade along Batiano River, Section 1 (PHP 144.65 million)
• Contract ID 25GJ0020 – Construction of Iloilo City Flood Mitigation Structure, Section 1 (PHP 48 million)
• Contract ID 25GJ0023 – Construction of Flood Mitigation Structure along Calajunan Creek, Barangay Calajunan (PHP 126 million)
• Contract ID 25GJ0051 – Construction of Flood Mitigation Structure within Iloilo City Waterway and Coastal Protection, Section 11 (PHP 39 million)
• Contract ID 25GJ0054 – Construction of Flood Control Structure along Batiano River, Section 2 (PHP 95 million)

Two projects, IDs 25GJ0019 and 25GJ0054, are handled by F. Gurrea Construction Inc. and were suspended due to site inaccessibility caused by mangrove cover and the presence of informal settlers.

The other three projects fall under A.D. Pendon Construction & Supply Inc.

Contract ID 25GJ0020 was suspended in May pending completion of adjacent sections, while Contract ID 25GJ0023 is reported as 77% complete and Contract ID 25GJ0051 is at 50% progress.

A review of Department of Public Works and Highways and ICDEO records by Daily Guardian found all five projects have indicated general locations.

Contracts 25GJ0019 and 25GJ0054 are located along the Batiano River, which runs through the Molo and Arevalo districts.

Contract 25GJ0023 is listed in Calajunan by ICDEO, while a DPWH bulletin tags it under the Molo district.

Contract 25GJ0051 is in Calajunan per ICDEO documents.

Only Contract 25GJ0020 lacks a clearly specified location in current documentation.

Aside from the five alleged “ghost projects,” five more projects have been suspended due to obstructions, force majeure, or informal settlements.

“This is the result of uncoordinated planning with the Iloilo City Government,” Treñas-Chu said.

“The local government unit of Iloilo City has always been ready to provide housing sites to those affected by the projects, had there been proper coordination with the city government,” she added.

The mayor said she will also submit the report to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, an ad hoc body created to investigate flood control projects.