The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday assured the public that anomalies linked to flood control projects would not be repeated in its farm-to-market (FMR) road projects.

“Well, unang-una, pangalan ko po at pangalan ng ating Pangulo ang nakaano dito, at ang ating Pangulo ay talagang malinaw ang direktiba sa aming lahat, ‘Keep it clean. Do it fast,’” DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said during a press conference at the Malacañang.

He added that there will be an “FMR watch” that will enable even everyday citizens to monitor the progress of every road project.

“At this will be very transparent, mayroon na po kaming FMR watch na we will present to the agri-beat media ng DA, I think next week. You are free to join para makita ninyo na interactive ito na pati iyong netizens, mga taumbayan, civil society… Every single Filipino can actually go to this portal and see what is happening to every single road na ginagawa,” he said.

Moreover, a number of civil society groups have volunteered to help ensure transparency.

“Actually, as of today, nagmi-meet ngayon sa office namin iyong civil society groups that are willing to sign a MOA (memorandum of agreement) with them to help us monitor this and it will be so transparent.

The FMR projects are projected to cost ₱14.5 million per kilometer, inclusive of the VAT. Previously, with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), it was pegged at ₱18 million.