MANILA – The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) asserted that there are no ghost or substandard projects under the government’s Barangay Development Program (BDP), which aims to curb communist influence at the grassroots level.

Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said strict guidelines and monitoring mechanisms ensure that BDP projects are properly implemented.

“They have ownership in the implementation of the project. Kaya po napakaganda. Wala po talaga tayong ghost project,” Torres said during a press briefing at Malacañang on Wednesday.

Torres added that project inspectors, even if not engineers, are trained to verify project quality. Funds are released directly to the implementing local government units, and oversight is maintained through the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s online Subaybayan Patrol system. Physical monitoring is also conducted at national, regional, provincial, and municipal levels.

The BDP provides essential services and livelihood projects to conflict-affected communities, including farm-to-market roads, classrooms, health stations, water systems, and electrification. As of 2024, the program has served 4,830 barangays.

For 2026, the proposed budget allocates PhP10 million per barangay, totaling PhP8.1 billion for 808 barangays nationwide.