Palace vows stricter accountability on 'ghost' projects under NEP

Malacañang assured Tuesday that accountability would be stricter in the investigation on alleged "ghost" and substandard projects in Bulacan, which were supposedly included in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

During a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. would certainly focus on these projects. 

"Kung iyon naman po ay priority project at naaayon sa NEP, accountability is stricter, mas lalo itong tututukan ng Pangulo. Pero ito man po ay nasa NEP o parte ng insertions at proyekto ng ibang mga pulitiko, hindi po nangangahulugan na hindi iimbestigahan. Lahat po iyan, pantay-pantay na iimbestigahan," Castro said. 

(If that's a priority project and based on the NEP, accountability is stricter, the President will surely focus on this. Even though it's part of NEP or an insertion or project of a certain politician, it doesn't mean that it will not be investigated. Everything will be probed.)

The alleged ghost flood control project in Bulacan that caught the ire of the President was an allocation that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) proposed, and not a congressional insertion from among lawmakers, a co-chair of the House Infrastructure Committee said.

This was based on Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon's analysis of the National Expenditure Program, the proposed allocations the Executive branch submitted to the Legislative, and the General Appropriations Act, the budget law that Congress passed.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said he would check Ridon's claims that some "ghost" projects were "National Expenditure Program-originated," and proposed by the agency.

The Commission on Audit, for its part, will conduct a technical inspection of all flood control projects, covering the period January 1, 2022 to July 31, 2025, whether these are ongoing or already completed. — VDV, GMA Integrated News