A supposed flood control project at Culaman Bridge in Davao Occidental has been exposed as a ghost project, with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) confirming that the contract was fully paid, worth ₱96.5 million, despite no work being completed.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, together with Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) Special Adviser Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who personally inspected the site, expressed outrage after finding that construction had not even started, even though the project had already been marked as completed under the previous administration.

Fully paid yet no project delivered

The project was awarded to St. Timothy Construction Company, a firm owned by the Discaya family. Despite the absence of visible progress, the company had already been paid in full, according to the assigned District Engineer Rodrigo Larete.

Assigned District Engineer Larete admitted that the contractor had received full payment, sparking questions of collusion and gross negligence within the department.

With anger, Dizon said that he doesn't care anymore if there are no District Engineers to be left in the agency while discovering such anomalies.

The flood control structure was intended to protect nearby communities and a local school from seasonal flooding. Its absence, residents say, has left them vulnerable to repeated suffering, raising anger over how funds were released without tangible results.