MANILA — A P92.8-million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan, linked to a malversation case involving former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., showed no visible structure during an on-site inspection, according to a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) official.

During a Sandiganbayan Third Division contingent inspection on Wednesday, DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office Officer-in-Charge Kenneth Fernando said the project site showed no substantial completion.

“Based on visual inspection, there is no accomplishment, your honor,” Fernando said when asked about the project’s status.

Prosecutors earlier described the project as a “ghost project.” It was intended to span 128 meters but reportedly showed no visible structure upon inspection.

Defense lawyers disputed the findings, arguing that steel sheet piles could be buried underground and that the assessment lacked technical basis.

Sandiganbayan Third Division Chairperson Karl Miranda directed maintenance personnel to verify whether any buried structures were present.

“The court should be able to satisfy itself,” Miranda said.

Following the clearing of tall grass at the site, workers reportedly found at least three sets of rusting steel sheet piles that were barely visible.

The inspection came after earlier prosecution witnesses gave conflicting accounts regarding the project’s exact location, including a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) witness who initially pointed to a site adjacent to the actual project area.

The NBI witness was later brought to the correct site by DPWH Bulacan officials, where an adjacent area showed visible but unfinished structures.