(UPDATE) THE Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Friday said it has begun organizing interagency teams to investigate hundreds of anomalous flood control projects across the country. ICI special adviser Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said the ICI was coordinating with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and various engineering groups, including those from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and civil engineers’ organizations, to carry out technical inspections and forensic validation. “In connection with the investigation, we are organizing the units, agencies and personnel who will be part of the probe,” Azurin said in an interview. He said the commission directed the AFP, PNP and DPWH to identify which projects were “ghost, substandard, unfinished, or overpriced.” “Physically, the AFP, PNP and the Department of Development have already inspected the sites. They identified 421 ghost projects nationwide,” Azurin said. “The verification is done; we are now proceeding to technical validation with our pool of engineers,” he said. The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group will lead the field operations, while the Scene of the Crime Operatives would handle forensic examinations. Azurin said the 421 questionable flood control projects that government auditors had flagged, particularly from the DPWH, covered the period from 2018 to 2025, although the review reached back to 2016. “We’re also looking at when these irregularities began to worsen so we can make recommendations to prevent them from happening again,” he said. The 421 projects were drawn from an initial pool of 8,000 flood control projects reviewed by the ICI in cooperation with the DPWH, AFP and the PNP. Of these, 261 are in Luzon, 109 in the Visayas and 51 in Mindanao. The DPWH earlier reported that from 2016 to 2025, it had implemented about 238,200 infrastructure projects nationwide — of which 12.5 percent, or roughly 29,800, were flood control works. Aside from flood control structures, Azurin said the ICI was also investigating farm-to-market roads, roads and bridges. “There are so many questionable projects. We just need to prioritize, and we ask for the public’s patience as we conduct a thorough investigation,” he said. Azurin said that once the engineers’ team was fully organized, they will have one week to validate all 421 projects. He said the ICI expected to send out the validation teams next week, after which evidence gathering and case buildup would follow. “Within three to four weeks, we expect to file at least 15 cases,” Azurin said. The investigation covered projects implemented from 2016 onward to avoid overwhelming the commission’s resources. “If we go further back, say another five years, we might be swamped by the volume of cases,” Azurin said. Also on Friday, the Department of Health (DOH) has briefed the ICI on its ongoing investigation into “ghost” super health centers or facilities funded by the government but are still idle or incomplete despite reported completion. In a press conference, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said around 300 facilities remained nonoperational, up from 297 earlier reported. Herbosa clarified that of 818 funded centers, about 500 have been completed, while 300 are still under construction. “Yesterday, it was 297, but last night it became 300 again. As we continue to investigate, the number changes,” he said. “When we reviewed the Super Health Centers, there [were] 818 that have been actually funded. About 500 were completed, and the remaining 300 are ongoing,” Herbosa said. “Among those completed, we checked how many are functional and how many are not — that’s the 300.” He said the DOH was using the term “ready for occupancy” to better classify centers that are physically built but not yet operational. “Some projects were marked ‘completed’ but turned out to be only phase one,” Herbosa noted. It helped a lot that the DOH requires a permit to build before any facility is constructed, he said. “In this way, there is a check and balance within the Department of Health facilities because the DOH is both the implementer and the regulator,” Herbosa said. The agency would continue its case-building to identify whether a particular project is delayed, misreported or neglected, with the ICI providing oversight, he said. He made it clear that not all inactive facilities were anomalous, with some remaining nonoperational due to missing utilities or staffing delays. “What we’re seeing are ‘obstacles to operations’ — sometimes no power, no water or no local personnel. The local government is responsible for connecting utilities and hiring doctors, nurses and midwives. The DOH only provides the infrastructure grant,” Herbosa said. Preliminary ICI figures show that since 2021, 878 super health centers have been funded under the Health Facility Enhancement Program. Of these, 365 are in various stages of construction, 196 are operational, 17 are partially operational and 300 remain nonoperational. The super health center project, launched in 2021 to decongest hospitals and expand primary care access, was designed to deliver full facilities within two years. Undersecretary Randy Escolango explained during The Manila Times Pharma Health care Forum 2025 on Friday that confusion arose from comparisons with “ghost projects” linked to public works, where funds are released for structures that were never built. “In our case, there is actual construction of the buildings,” Escolango said. “But once completed and turned over, the local governments are responsible for providing staff, equipment and operations.” He said the issue is not about missing infrastructure but nonfunctioning ones. “Maybe the proper term is ‘not functional,’” he said. Escolango also said the DOH has strengthened its coordination with PhilHealth to improve access to medicines and health care services under the Universal Health Care Act. He discussed the agency’s Health Care Financing Strategy for 2023 to 2028, which aims to reduce out-of-pocket health expenses and ensure fair, sustainable access to essential health services. Escolango said the DOH has implemented reforms in supply chain management to prevent expired or missing medicines, including real-time tracking through the Electronic Logistics Management Information System now used in more than 2,600 health facilities. New warehouse hubs in Caloocan City, Mandaue City, Zamboanga City and Camarines Norte will speed up the distribution of medicines and supplies nationwide, he added. He also confirmed that patients admitted to basic wards in all 87 DOH hospitals will benefit from zero-balance billing, meaning no out-of-pocket expenses. “Previously, no-balance billing was limited to indigent patients,” Escolango said. “Now, it covers everyone admitted to public wards.” He said the department is studying ways to expand the program through partnerships with private hospitals to widen access to free basic care. Escolango urged consistent accountability among government and local health agencies. “When medicines are within reach, communities become healthier,” he said. “We must make sure no health center is left idle and no Filipino is left without care.”