DA files 8 graft, malversation complaints over P94M ghost farm-to-market roads in Davao Occidental

₱94 million in agriculture funds paid for eight farm-to-market roads in Davao Occidental that field validation found were never built. On May 21, 2026, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the filing of eight complaints at the Office of the Ombudsman against six officials of the DPWH Davao Occidental District Engineering Office and eight private contractors. The respondents face malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents under Article 217, in relation to Articles 171 and 172 of the Revised Penal Code, and violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. The DPWH officials named include Rodrigo Larete, Joel Lumogdang, Michael Awa, Jafel Faunillan, and Czar Ryan Ubungen, identified as district and project engineers, a quality assurance officer, and a finance officer of the district engineering office. The Department of Agriculture said the officials and contractors falsified Statements of Work Accomplished, Certificates of Payment, and Disbursement Vouchers to certify the roads as finished and release payment, while field validation showed the projects were never implemented. Seven of the eight roads were sited in Malita and one in Jose Abad Santos, all funded under the 2021 national budget. Tiu Laurel, who inspected the sites in late 2025, said he found only dirt. "There's no cement, no steel. Nothing at all," he said. No public response from the accused DPWH officials or contractors had been reported as of the filing.