Collaborating with the Department of Agriculture, budget watchdog organizations are analyzing spending documents to determine if additional farm-to-market-road (FMR) submissions were designated for impossible construction sites. The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced it has enlisted civil society groups to review budget documents after discovering that several proposed road projects listed geographical coordinates that landed squarely in the open sea.
The joint review targets 1,669 farm-to-market road proposals in the 2027 budget. Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. acknowledged the findings during a meeting with the People’s Budget Coalition (PBC), BetterGov.ph, and BistoProyekto, noting that the agency had already flagged eight problematic projects. Out of those initial findings, officials believe that mistyped coordinates accounted for mistakes in one or two entries.
Defending the 2027 Budget Before the Senate
The initiative to clean up the agricultural infrastructure ledger follows legislative hearings. Department of Agriculture officials defended their proposed spending plan before the Senate finance committee on Wednesday, 21 October. Kenneth Abante, co-convenor of the People’s Budget Coalition, presented findings during the deliberations on the DA’s proposed P198.45-billion budget for 2027.
Abante urged the Senate panel to scrutinize 7,054 projects worth P190 billion allegedly inserted by the House of Representatives into the agency’s spending bill. While the proposed allocation sits 8% lower than the P215.69 billion provided in 2026, the watchdog group highlighted questionable projects, suspicious details, and potentially inflated costs, many of which he attributed to House insertions.
A P23-million FMR supposedly situated in Nueva Ecija, yet featuring coordinates that mapped near Benham Rise, was among the flagged initiatives. In addition, an estimated P30-million Cebu road undertaking displayed coordinates within the Celebes Sea close to Indonesia, while a P55-million Quezon FMR pointed toward a location neighboring Brunei.
The Stakes for Farmers and Supply Chains
Designed to link agricultural and fisheries production sites, coastal landing points, and post-harvest facilities with markets and major thoroughfares, farm-to-market roads assist farmers in cutting down transportation expenses and distributing their harvests with greater efficiency.
The watchdog group pointed out that the House inserted 355 entirely new farm-to-market road projects worth nearly P6 billion that were “completely absent from the National Expenditure Program and the Department of Agriculture’s proposal.” Each of these newly added projects carries allocations ranging from P5 million to P15 million.
“We are not saying that these are conclusive [evidence] of corruption because we need more documents to make a determination,” Abante told senators. “What we are simply saying is that a determination and documentation are necessary so that we review these more thoroughly.”
The coalition also trained its analytical lens on solar-powered irrigation systems equipped with artificial intelligence, noting that project allocations ranged from P50 million to P200 million. Upon examining bidding paperwork obtained from the National Irrigation Administration, the coalition discovered that the market rate for 600- to 700-watt solar panels sat around P7,000, whereas the National Irrigation Administration’s own bidding documents valued them at roughly P30,000 to P40,000.
Reforming the Process After Past Scandals
Following the 2025 flood control corruption scandal—which triggered evaluations of multiple initiatives previously managed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)—oversight of farm-to-market roads was reassigned to the Department of Agriculture. The DPWH was subsequently stripped of funding for farm-to-market roads. To maintain transparency, the DA currently operates an FMR Watch portal to enable citizen monitoring.
Inaccurate geotagging data was found in 355 farm-to-market road projects valued at approximately P6 billion, alongside 222 irrigation projects valued at around P7 billion, according to the People’s Budget Coalition. Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. emphasized that the current collaboration with watchdogs aims to fix more than just typographical errors.
“We are reviewing the data and working with civil society groups to make sure the technical descriptions are accurate and verifiable,” Mr. Laurel said. “This review is not only about correcting individual entries. We are looking at the process itself, so we can close gaps, improve validation and prevent the same errors from recurring,” Mr. Laurel added.
Lawmakers, including Senate finance committee chair JV Ejercito, have challenged the House-approved budget for straying from the NEP, pointing to reductions in priority initiatives like railways alongside expansions in flood control and financial assistance funds. As budget watchdogs pore over the remaining project entries, the upcoming legislative sessions will determine whether these systemic mapping flaws lead to structural reforms in how national infrastructure funds are distributed.
