Senator Kiko Pangilinan calls for probe after farm-to-market projects mapped in bodies of water

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to investigate discrepancies in the recorded locations of farm-to-market road (FMR) projects after several projects were found to have coordinates pointing to bodies of water.

Pangilinan, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, raised the issue following a report by People’s Budget Coalition co-convenor Ken Abante during a Senate hearing that project coordinates were located in areas such as Benham Rise and the Celebes Sea.

“We need to get to the bottom of this para hindi na lumala pa o paulit-ulit mangyari. Paano ito nakalusot? Paano na-verify at nai-record sa government databases itong mga coordinates na nasa dagat pala? Mali ba ang coordinates, may problema ba sa validation, o may iba pang iregularidad?,” he asked.

Pangilinan cited the DA’s FMR Watch transparency portal as a tool for exposing questionable project records, while stressing the need to address weaknesses in government monitoring systems.

“This is how the transparency portal must work and we commend the People’s Budget Coalition for flagging these projects down. But we must also act fast and make sure that there won’t be lapses and loopholes that corrupt people in government can exploit for their gain,” he added.

During the DA’s proposed budget hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 21, the senator cited three projects with questionable geographical coordinates: a P23-million FMR project supposedly located in Nueva Ecija but mapped near Benham Rise; a P30-million project intended for Cebu with coordinates in the Celebes Sea near Indonesia; and a P55-million project whose coordinates reportedly pointed to waters near Brunei.

Pangilinan stressed that FMRs are essential to helping farmers and fisherfolk transport their produce to markets, lowering logistics costs, reducing post-harvest losses, and keeping food prices reasonable for consumers.

He said public funds allocated for these projects must result in functioning roads that directly benefit agricultural communities.

“Tulad ng flood control, nakatutok and taumbayan sa mga farm-to-market projects dahil sa lumalalang kalagayan ng food security sa bansa. Kailangan ito hindi lang ng mga magsasaka pero ng lahat ng Pilipinong umaasa sa kanilang mga ani,” the senator said.

To establish the extent of the discrepancies, Pangilinan called for a comprehensive audit of the affected projects, including their coordinates, approved plans, contracts, implementation status, inspection reports, and actual locations.

He also urged the DA to improve its FMR transparency dashboard by fixing technical deficiencies, making project information more accessible, and ensuring the data are regularly updated and verifiable.

Among the measures he proposed were standardized mapping and geotagging procedures and the use of more precise surveying technology, such as Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) equipment, instead of ordinary mobile devices to improve the accuracy of project coordinates.

Pangilinan emphasized that transparency requires more than simply making project records available online, saying the information must also be accurate and verifiable.

“Aanhin natin ang dashboard kung mali-mali naman pala ang datos dito? Kung seryoso tayo na maging transparent at accountable, dapat malinaw at tama ang mga impormasyon sa portal,” Pangilinan said.

He reiterated the need for stronger public oversight of FMR projects, saying accountability in the use of government funds is essential to ensuring that infrastructure reaches its intended beneficiaries.

-Paraluman News