The Pasig City government is set to form an independent monitoring team to review infrastructure projects in the city, Mayor Vico Sotto announced, as reported by RH Edniel Parrosa.

The group will operate in a non-governmental organization (NGO)-style setup and will be composed of experts and volunteers. Its mandate will cover not only projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) but also past and ongoing initiatives of the local government.

The announcement coincides with the city’s receipt of its first batch of documents from the DPWH under a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. Sotto said he sought the documents to verify whether there are ghost projects or substandard flood control initiatives in Pasig.

While some engineers expressed readiness to conduct site inspections, Sotto asked them to postpone the fieldwork due to Severe Tropical Storm Opong.

“Since 2019, I have never heard of any ghost project or anything like that within Pasig City's jurisdiction. But (1), we will make sure; and (2), we will also check for quality and effectiveness,” Sotto said.

He added that DPWH flood control projects will be prioritized because of public concern, but the long-term goal is to establish an independent team that will monitor and evaluate all infrastructure projects in Pasig, including those managed by the city government.

The initiative is part of the city’s ongoing Local Government Clean-up Drive, which began in 2019. Meanwhile, the Pasig LGU continues to monitor weather developments as classes were suspended nationwide on Friday by Malacañang due to the forecasted landfall of typhoon Opong.

As of press time, Eastern Metro Manila had not yet experienced heavy rainfall.