MANILA — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is putting its multibillion-peso farm-to-market road (FMR) program under a digital microscope in order to purge the “ghost project” reputation often associated with rural infrastructure.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced that the agency is centralizing oversight of these projects under the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (BAFE). The move is paired with the launch of FMR Watch, a public transparency portal designed to allow citizens to track road construction in real-time.
“This is a digital flashlight,” Tiu Laurel said. “Farmers, local government units, and citizen watchdogs can see where roads should be, how projects are progressing, and whether implementation meets standards. There are no smoke and mirrors—only maps, data, and accountability.”
The scale of the program is massive. Between 2021 and 2025, the DA has tracked 4,810 projects with a total investment of Php 76.52 billion, covering nearly 2,400 kilometers of roads. To date, 3,135 of those projects have been completed.
For 2026, the DA has been allotted a Php 33-billion budget specifically to construct over 2,300 kilometers of new roads. By centralizing the implementation under BAFE, the DA aims to ensure consistent engineering standards that can withstand the logistical demands of heavy agricultural transport.
The FMR Watch platform integrates official budget data with construction milestones and geotagged photos, moving beyond traditional government reporting by incorporating a robust citizen feedback mechanism. Under this system, stakeholders can directly report discrepancies between reported progress and actual site conditions, while DA Regional Field Offices are mandated to acknowledge and verify these public comments, typically within a three-day window. This high-tech approach utilizes geotagging to prevent “double-funding” or the fraudulent reporting of existing roads as new projects, ensuring that every peso is accounted for on the map.
Tiu Laurel emphasized that the stakes go beyond simple construction. High logistics costs—often caused by dilapidated or non-existent roads—are a primary driver of high food prices in urban centers and low incomes for farmers.
“These roads are not just asphalt and concrete,” Tiu Laurel said. “They lower production costs, raise farm incomes, and reduce food prices. When public funds build real roads instead of private fortunes, everyone benefits.”
He also noted that the return of the FMR program to the DA’s direct supervision is a test of the agency’s integrity. “We are determined to be transparent with everyone’s help and cooperation,” he added.