An audit of projects in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) must be conducted to determine whether or not there are "ghost projects,” President Duterte ordered Thursday amid the massive corruption probe in the bureaucracy.
The President raised suspicion about "plenty" of ghost projects, the main corruption “racket” in the public works agency, as he demanded the resignation of government personnel involved in such irregularities.
Duterte made the latest remarks after reading the names of several customs personnel dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman during his televised address Thursday.
"Next week, we are still investigating DPWH. Ang DPWH ang pinaka-raket dyan is 'yung ghost project. Walang delivery, ghost project. Marami 'yan. Karamihan diyan is the regional director ipalalabas nila na may project but wala. (The main racket in the DWPH is ghost projects. There's no delivery, they are ghost projects. There are plenty. Regional directors are mostly involved. They claim there is a project but there is none),” Duterte said.
"The best way is to conduct an audit of those projects to determine if they are ghost projects or not and I think they are plenty," he added.
According to the President, many personnel from the DPWH will likely be dismissed for alleged involvement in anomalies. He mentioned alleged irregularities in some road right-of-way projects and other incomplete or substandard projects by the public works agency.
"I really intend to clean government. At least kung hindi ko kaya, mamenus-menusan ang kurakot sa gobyerno. Yan na lang consuelo ng tao na mahuli at mapreso (if I cannot do it, at least reduce corruption in government. The only comfort of the public is they are caught and jailed)," he said.
In his speech, Duterte lamented that some toilet facilities project of the DPWH were left unfinished. He told the DPWH personnel connected with the construction of these toilets built without any partitions "to report to me" and explain such project.
"I'm sure government will not allow that kind of project. No engineering department or the engineer themselves will be crazy to do that. 'Yan ang mga project na haw siao, 'yang partial delivery or yung halos ibigay sa yo na project na ganun. For the longest time, walang imbestigation (Those projects are fake. Those with partial delivery. For the longest time, there has been no investigation there)," he said.
Duterte also advised those involved in anomalies in DPWH projects to "resign now," warning they will face prosecution.
"Kayong may kasalanan diyan, I advise you to resign now, resign now kasi pagdating ng panahon, I will throw the book at you, even the kitchen sink," he said. "You will be prosecuted administratively and criminally at walang patawaran dito. (and there will be no mercy here)," he added.
The President earlier ordered a government-wide investigation after expressing dismay with alleged rampant corruption in the bureaucracy.
He assigned the Department of Justice to expand the probe on PhilIppine Health Insurance Corporation to cover other agencies like the DPWH and the Bureau of Customs.