Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla launched an investigation into P60 billion worth of flood control projects executed in Cebu over the past six years after severe flooding re-emerged last month.
The probe scrutinizes the Department of Public Works and Highways across the Visayas region, using digital tools to verify project coordinates and investigate alleged ghost projects and technical contract breaches.
The Ombudsman will deploy 20 additional lawyers to the Visayas office to strengthen evidence-gathering and prosecution efforts while advocating for mandatory digital public bidding platforms.
THE Office of the Ombudsman has launched an investigation into roughly P60 billion spent on flood control projects across Cebu over the past six years. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla announced the probe during a tour of the Visayas to determine whether the massive public spending actually protected communities or was lost to flawed engineering and corruption. The move comes as heavy rainfall caused severe flooding across parts of the province over the past month, leaving local communities vulnerable despite years of heavy funding.
Big spending vs. public safety
Over the last six years, P60 billion in public funds went toward Cebu's infrastructure defenses against heavy rain and overflowing rivers. A major portion was concentrated in Cebu’s 7th District, with about 25 percent of the total funding reportedly awarded to a single contractor.
“We looked at the projects of flood control here in Cebu, and from our understanding, for the past six years, P60 billion has been poured into Cebu,” Remulla said.
“But apparently, the past month, flooding happened again here in Cebu. So, we have to look at what’s happening... Is it the design? Is it the execution? Or is it just corruption? Titignan natin (We will look into it) and we will find out and we will know,” he said.
Using digital tools to find "ghost" projects
The investigation stretches beyond Cebu to cover Eastern Visayas, Bohol and Negros Oriental. Rather than targeting specific individuals right away, investigators are examining the entire regional structure, including the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional director and district engineers.
To spot potential "ghost" projects — structures funded on paper that were never actually built — investigators are using digital tools to verify project coordinates on the ground. For example, this technology is being applied to a National Bureau of Investigation request regarding an alleged ghost project in Barangay Singsing, Balamban.
“We will have to check and verify and validate,” Remulla said.
Checking financial patterns and technical details
The Ombudsman is evaluating potential lifestyle checks on DPWH district engineers, staff and contractors involved in the projects. Investigators are also looking into suspicious bidding patterns in road project auctions, known as the “road bidding phenomenon.”
Proving wrongdoing in flood defense requires detailed site inspections. For instance, flood barriers frequently use sheet piling, which are interlocking steel walls driven into the ground to block water flow. Remulla recalled a past case in Bulacan where a contract specified 14-meter sheet piles, but the installed structures measured only four meters.
“It’s easy to conclude, but to prove is harder and our job is to prove,” Remulla said.
“It’s not very easy to do flood control investigation because the contracts are very thick,” he said.
Building solid cases and expanding oversight
The Ombudsman emphasized that formal charges will only be filed once solid, court-admissible evidence is collected, meaning there is no fixed timeline yet.
“We cannot file cases just like that or put people in jail just like that. We need the evidence, kailangan ng evidence, matibay, para maipanalo natin yung kaso (we need concrete evidence to win the case),” Remulla said.
To handle the expanded investigation, the Ombudsman will send 20 additional lawyers to its Visayas office. Remulla is also pushing for mandatory digital platforms or "digital billboards" to make public bidding transparent from the barangay level up to national agencies.
“The bidding from the barangay up to the executive department, dapat digital na (it should already be digital),” Remulla said.
“We have to work at both ends of the spectrum. Hindi lang itaas ang mapapansin mo, dapat lahat pinapansin (Do not notice only what is above, everything should be given attention),” he said.
As Ombudsman investigators begin auditing contracts and checking physical sites, the results of this regional probe will reveal whether Cebu's massive flood control investments can truly protect residents during future storms. / CAV