Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday pressed for answers on why Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials have not been preventively suspended over alleged “ghost” flood-control projects, saying a simple paper trail should be enough to pin down those involved.

“Bakit mukhang exempted ang DPWH sa preventive suspension?” Cayetano asked at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, recalling that he had raised the same question when probing the collapsed bridge in Isabela, also built by the agency.

“Kung merong nagtatakip sa ghost projects pero hindi siya preventively suspended, then he or she will have time [to cover up their tracks],” he added.

Cayetano, who serves as senior vice chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee, noted that DPWH rules already require documentation at every stage of construction.

“All you have to do is tell them (contractors), ‘Nasaan y’ung report? At kunan niyo ng picture [ang project],’” he told DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, who was present at the hearing.

“May paper trail at may technology to deal with that. So kung tinanggal y’ung requirement na y’on, alam na nating may binabalak [na hindi maganda],” he continued.

Cayetano pointed out that quality assurance units exist in every district and regional office, which means completion reports go all the way up to the DPWH Undersecretaries.

He urged the agency to clarify how far up the DPWH chain of command the physical verification of projects goes, saying this is key to identifying who should be held accountable.

“If the district engineer or the regional office reports that it’s finished, ‘pag nag-report siya sa Assistant Secretary, titingnan ba ng ASec y’un?” he asked Bonoan.

“Y’un y’ung gusto naming ma-clarify para alam namin sino ipatatawag namin,” he added.

With three weeks already passing since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. flagged “ghost projects” in his State of the Nation Address, Cayetano said the DPWH can no longer afford to delay action.

“Presidente na ang nagsabi, and kayo na ang nagsabi, na mukhang may ghost projects. So paki-check niyo y’un,” he said.