The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will expand its investigation to include alleged irregularities in the construction of farm-to-market roads (FMRs), according to Acting Committee Chairman Senator Erwin Tulfo.
According to RH Raymund Dadpaas report, Tulfo said the committee has been receiving numerous complaints and reports linking certain politicians and contractors to questionable FMR projects, which will now be investigated alongside ongoing probes into flood control projects.
He clarified that the hearings on flood control projects will continue, particularly focusing on the alleged ₱1.6 billion worth of "ghost projects" in the Samar area. The contractor involved in the Samar case reportedly hails from the Bicol Region.
The senator added that invitations will soon be sent to former House Speaker and Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez and former Ako Bicol party-list Representative Zaldy Co to appear before the committee.
Tulfo estimated that the committee may hold two more hearings on the flood control issue before shifting its focus to FMRs and other related matters that may arise during the proceedings.
During the budget deliberations on the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) proposed ₱176.7-billion budget for 2026, Senate Committee on Finance Chairman Sherwin Gatchalian expressed his intention to have the Blue Ribbon and the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) look into anomalies in FMR projects.
Gatchalian revealed that on 2023 and 2024, around ₱10 billion worth of farm-to-market road (FMR) projects nationwide appeared to be 'extremely overpriced.'
The regions that reportedly benefited the most were the Bicol Region (Region 5) and Eastern Visayas (Region 8), both of which are not major rice-producing areas.
According to Gatchalian’s report, the Bicol Region topped the list with 80 FMR projects worth ₱1.7 billion suspected of overpricing, followed by Eastern Visayas with 33 projects valued at ₱791 million.
Last week, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) began reviewing the allegedly questionable FMR projects after receiving reports and supporting documents from Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
