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Scandal-serye, still no ghost project cases

The Philippine Star

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October 16, 2025

We're two months into the grotesque unraveling of this grand thievery of flood control projects, but we have yet to see the perpetrators brought to justice.

Isn’t it weird that the ground zero of this flood corruption scandal is in Bulacan’s first district, where contracted projects don’t exist at all, and yet no cases have been filed against those behind the ghost structures there?

Isn’t it weird that while these phantom dikes, floodwalls, spillways and what-have-you are the easiest to prove in terms of corruption in public works, our authorities are still waiting to determine the elements of the crime?

And yet, the evidence is exactly that - you can’t see the projects at all. Despite millions of pesos disbursed, checks issued and stacks of documents signed, sealed and delivered.

But here we are still waiting for contractors and greedy ex-DPWH engineers who enjoyed their loot as seen on tables filled with cash, to be held liable for ghost projects.

No less than former Bureau of Internal Revenue commissioner Kim Henares said going after ghost project contractors would be so easy. One just needs to inspect the site and see that the structures dont exist.

"That’s it. That's the case. You don’t need any other evidence," she said in a recent interview on dzMM.

Our authorities dont need to look too far or to travel to far-flung and remote areas.

Take Bulacan for instance.

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