COA wants prioritized audit of Bulacan's big-ticket flood control projects

The Commission on Audit (COA) has tasked its technical service office to immediately conduct an inspection on all flood control projects in Bulacan, prioritizing the highest valued projects.

In an August 20 memorandum, COA Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba ordered the Technical Services Office to “designate technical personnel for the immediate conduct of technical inspections of all ongoing and completed flood control projects” in Bulacan from January 1, 2022, to July 31, 2025.

''The inspections should prioritize projects based on contract cost starting with the highest-valued projects,'' the memo stated.

In the memo, Cordoba ordered Director IV Flora Ruiz of COA’s Technical Services Office Systems and Technical Services Sector to to designate technical personnel for the immediate conduct of technical inspections of all ongoing and completed flood control projects in the province covering the abovementioned time frame.

The inspection team shall verify and document the physical existence and status of the project as well as its compliance with design and specifications.

COA said  state auditors must confirm the physical existence of the projects and assess their actual progress against the approved work program and schedule. In addition, the memo said these efforts should be documented with videos and geo-tagged photos.

The team shall also submit the technical inspection reports to the overall team supervisor of the Fraud Audit Teams created under COA Office Order No. 2025-807, immediately after inspection. 

The said report shall include findings for each project, specifically the identified deficiencies, irregularities, and issues. 

Last week, the COA Fraud Audit Office retrieved the first batch of key documents needed for the investigation into flood control projects in Bulacan. 

The primary purpose of the special audit is to identify and substantiate instances of fraud, waste, and mismanagement, the FAO said, noting that this would also ensure robust accountability and foster the development of resilient and effective public infrastructure.

Earlier, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson revealed that Bulacan was the “most notorious” province when it comes to anomalies in flood control projects, claiming that a “well-organized syndicate” was behind the scheme. 

In a privilege speech, the senator said that 28 projects in Bulacan were so-called distinct as they were all worth P77 million.

After his State of the Nation Address on July, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. launched a crackdown on anomalous flood control projects, naming 15 contractors that bagged the lion’s share of P545 billion worth of flood control projects under government contracts. — RF, GMA Integrated  News