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Alyana Uy - The Philippine Star
October 30, 2026 | 3:02pm
MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended three Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials over alleged “ghost” farm-to-market road (FMR) projects worth P94 million in Davao Occidental.
Pending the conclusion of the proceedings, James Ryan Jabonero, Jonathan Relacion and Zesrel Cuga were placed under suspension for no more than six months.
Other respondents could not be suspended because they had already left public service. Five officials were dismissed in June 2026, and one retired in May of the previous year.
Charges of graft and corrupt practices, malversation and falsification of public documents were first filed in May 2026 by Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel.
The DA discovered a pattern among eight FMR projects in which the officials allegedly conspired to submit fabricated Project Status Reports, Statements of Work Accomplished and vouchers to secure state payments for nonexistent infrastructure.
The complaints also named private contractors Allen Borbon of Adan Builders Co. and Marvin Lata Cumbe and Honorio Cumbe of HVC Sagittarius Commercial & Construction.
‘Seasonal issue’
FMR roads help farmers move goods efficiently and may contribute to lower food prices by easing supply issues.
The agriculture department assumed primary control over such projects in early 2026 following investigations into overpriced, incomplete and nonexistent FMRs under the DPWH.
Budget insertions covering infrastructure projects under both agencies, as well as the National Irrigation Administration and the Department of Health, were among the additions to the House’s version of the proposed 2027 national budget flagged by watchdogs and sectoral groups.
The almost P180 billion in funding reportedly came from slashing the budgets of foreign-assisted projects, calamity funds, the EDSA Busway and health programs.
The bicameral conference committee, which will reconcile conflicting provisions in the House and Senate versions of the bill, will convene after the Senate concludes its plenary debates scheduled for November.
