Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Dennis Datu

ABS-CBN News

The barangay chairman of Apitong, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro was shocked to learn from Senator Panfilo Lacson’s revelation that a flood control project in their area had already been funded and supposedly completed—even though no actual structure can be seen. “Sobrang nakakalungkot po at nakakagalit  dahil pati barangay namin ay nagamit,” said Chairman Mel Eloponga of Barangay Apitong. In his privilege speech on Wednesday, Senator Lacson exposed the existence of a ghost flood control project in Sitio Dike, along the Mag-asawang Tubig River. “Ang halaga ng kontrata P192.99 million, ayon sa dokumento mula sa DPWH website, completed na po ito ngunit ng puntahan ng aking team wala po silang nakitang proyekto sa Sito Dike,” Lacson said. On the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website, it also appeared that the project was listed as completed on August 15, 2024. But what surprised Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito “Bonz” Dolor even more was based on their own research, which showed that under the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the flood control project in Sitio Dike had been funded three separate times with hundreds of millions of pesos—yet, like the earlier one, no structure was built.<div> <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/8/19/oriental-mindoro-governor-names-contractors-behind-9-collapsed-flood-control-projects-0042">Oriental Mindoro governor names contractors behind 9 collapsed flood control projects</a></div> “Ang nasa GAA  tatlong project sa 2024, may nakalagay na Sitio Dike, Apitong P200 million. May nakalagay na right side and left side, walang barangay pero same location, P300 million at P250 million,” Dolor explained. “How can you find a project na sa GAA, walang barangay, imagine mo ha &#x27;yung  Sito Dike, P200 million sa 2024 GAA, may barangay na, may sitio pa pero walang ginawa kahit isa hanggang ngayon.&quot;Residents say if the dike had been built, they would have been spared from last month’s devastating flood. “Kailangang kailangan dahil ang lugar na ito ay binabaha. May mga naanod pong bahay diyan, mga hayop at bukid na naapektuhan. Sobrang nakakalungkot po at nakakagalit  dahil pati barangay namin ay nagamit,“ said Chairman Eloponga. “Halos buwan-buwan nga nabaha dito. Naubos na nga bukid ko dito, nakuha na ng ilog,” said farmer Rosendo Magnaye.Governor Dolor revealed that the alleged anomaly did not end there. <div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/8/19/oriental-mindoro-gov-shows-collapsed-dike-to-dpwh-director-kalokohan-na-ito-0648">Oriental Mindoro gov shows collapsed dike to DPWH director: &#x27;Kalokohan na ito&#x27;</a></div>In the 2025 GAA, Barangay Apitong was again allocated three separate flood control projects—each worth ₱300 million. When the ABS-CBN News team visited the site, Eloponga showed that construction for one project only began in May at the downstream section of the Mag-asawang Tubig River in Sitio San Isidro. Another project at the upstream right section started just last month, with only sheet piles visible so far. “Parang medyo mabagal po ang paggagawa po dahil iilan tao lamang po gumagawa,&quot; Eloponga said. A third flood control project in the same barangay remains missing. The projects fall under the first district of Oriental Mindoro. But Congressman Arnan Panaligan denied benefiting from them or inserting them into the budget. “Parang unfair na tayo ay makaladkad doon na hindi naman tayo ang naglagay ng proyektong iyan, hindi tayo ang nag-prioritize, kundi dumating na sa atin yan” Panaligan said. The DPWH Mimaropa has yet to respond to the alleged ghost flood control projects in Naujan.<div> <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/8/17/dpwh-engineer-in-collapsed-flood-control-project-in-oriental-mindoro-fired-2312">DPWH engineer in collapsed flood control project in Oriental Mindoro fired </a></div> Dolor challenged DPWH Mimaropa Regional Director Gerald Pacanan to tell the truth. “Tell the truth na lang,just tell the truth ganoon kasimple ,kung ano yung totoo sa iyo kung ano alam mo sabihin mo kasi the truth will set you free,” Dolor said. So far, the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro has been unable to locate at least four flood control projects in Sitio Dike that were supposedly funded since 2024.<div>  </div>

The barangay chairman of Apitong, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro was shocked to learn from Senator Panfilo Lacson’s revelation that a flood control project in their area had already been funded and supposedly completed—even though no actual structure can be seen.

The barangay chairman of Apitong, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro was shocked to learn from Senator Panfilo Lacson’s revelation that a flood control project in their area had already been funded and supposedly completed—even though no actual structure can be seen.

'Ghost' flood control project in Oriental Mindoro funded thrice in 2024

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'Ghost' flood control project in Oriental Mindoro funded thrice in 2024

Dennis Datu,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 21, 2025 11:13 PM PHT

Read More:

Ghost project

Flood control program

Naujan

Oriental Mindoro

DPWH MImaropa

Ping Lacson

Bonz Dolor

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