Investigate overpriced farm-to-market roads too - Gatchalian

Metro Manila, Philippines - Different projects, same modus.

After flagging over ₱10 billion in alleged overpriced farm-to-market road (FMR) projects in the 2023 and 2024 budgets of the Department of Agriculture, Senate finance committee chairman Win Gatchalian said these projects show patterns similar to flood control anomalies.

Speaking at the Kapihan sa Senado media forum on Thursday, Oct. 9, Gatchalian said most of the overpriced projects were in Bicol and Eastern Visayas, even if these regions are not top rice-producing areas.

Previous investigations also revealed that flood control projects were concentrated in areas that are not the most flood-prone.

“Ang rice granary ng Pilipinas ay Region 2. Yan ang rice granary natin and Mindanao. Pero hindi nasa top FMR allocation ang Region 2. In fact, malayo siya. Even sa Mindanao, ang layo rin,” Gatchalian said.

[Translation: The rice granary of the Philippines is Region 2. That’s our main rice-producing area, along with Mindanao. But Region 2 did not receive the highest FMR allocation. In fact, it’s far from the top. Even in Mindanao, the allocations are way off.]

While he said he has yet to verify who proposed the budget items, Gatchalian noted that the top two regions flagged for questionable FMR projects — Bicol and Eastern Visayas — are the political strongholds of resigned Ako-Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, both implicated in flood control anomalies which they have denied.

Gatchalian said some of the same contractors have appeared in both types of projects.

“Isa na doon yung Hi-Tone, which is kapatid ni Zaldy Co. So, para sa akin hindi coincidental ito lahat [One of them is Hi-Tone, which is owned by the brother of Zaldy Co. So for me, none of this is coincidental],” Gatchalian said.

“If you think about itong nangyayari sa flood control at yung mga personalities involved tulad ng Sunwest, tulad ng Hi-Tone, sa aking personal na pag-analisa, hindi kataka-taka na nalagay ang pinakamalaking alokasyon ng FMR sa Bicol area,” he added.

[Translation: When you think about what’s happening in the flood control projects and the personalities involved — like Sunwest, like Hi-Tone — in my personal analysis, it’s no surprise that the largest allocation for FMRs ended up in the Bicol area.]

Gatchalian is now urging the blue ribbon committee and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure — both of which are already investigating flood control anomalies — to expand its probe to include farm-to-market roads.

He also expressed concern that similar irregularities could be present in other infrastructure projects such as roads and irrigation, saying his office is currently looking into those as well.