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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Gatchalian: More than P10 billion lost in overpriced farm-to-market roads

Gatchalian: More than P10 billion lost in overpriced farm-to-market roads

Published Oct 8, 2025 04:10 pm

At A Glance

  • Based on their computation, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said that P10.3 billion had been lost due to these overpriced farm-to-market roads.


Senate Committee on Finance chairman Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday, October 8 denounced the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) farm-to-market road (FMR) projects in 2023 and 2024 for being extremely overpriced.

Gatchalian pointed this out during Wednesday’s budget hearing of the Finance Subcommittee J, where he presented the top 10 extremely overpriced farm to market road projects in various provinces in the country.

Based on their computation, the senator said that P10.3 billion had been lost due to these overpriced FMRs, which included the concreting of Barangay San Roque FMR Phase 2 in Tacloban City, Leyte which is included in the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

“This is just not extremely overpriced; it’s extremely, extremely, extremely overpriced. This for me is obvious sign of corruption,” Gatchalian said at the hearing.

The senator pointed out that the benchmark is only at P15,000, which is already high, considering the soil is soft. But the DPWH is constructing this at P348,000 per meter.

“But the end user is the DA (Department of Agriculture),” Gatchalian noted.

 He cited the P100-million worth farm-to-market road project in Tacloban City, which was stretching to 6.7 kilometer and cost P348.432.06 per meter, which is extremely overpriced.

The list of extremely overpriced FMR projects can be found in Camarines Sur, Bulacan, Eastern Samar, and in Daraga, Albay. All were included in the 2024 GAA.

DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. responded to the report saying it was “shocking” and should be checked with DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon.

“I really think there is a problem. Based on the information I got just now, DA did not concur in these projects,” Laurel said.

Laurel agreed that every kilometer should only cost P10-million, especially on straight roads.

Because of this, Gatchalian suggested slashing the proposed budget for FMRs in the 2026 national budget by 30 percent to save the government P5-billion.

For 2026, the DA proposed P16-billion for FMRs, but Tiu Laurel said there 70,000 kilometers of completed FMRs and a backlog of 60,000 kilometers. 

Gatchalian also noted that Bicol and Eastern Visayas got the bulk of FMR projects in 2023 and 2024.

“I don’t think it’s coincidental that Region 5 got the biggest FMR allocation, and the top 3 contracts were connected to (Rep.) Zaldy Co,” he pointed out.

Co formerly headed the House Appropriations Committee and was tagged in the anomalous flood control projects which is now the subject of congressional inquiries and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure’s (ICI) investigation.

Related Tags

Sherwin Gatchalian farm-to-market roads DPWH DA
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