PACC CALLS FOR FULL INVESTIGATION INTO PPA’S BILLION-PESO PROJECTS AND REPORTED ANOMALIES; RECOMMENDS PRESIDENT MARCOS ORDER A FULL ICI PROBE INTO PPA INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMS; VOLUNTEERS READY TO SUPPORT INVESTIGATION AND HELP FILE ADMINISTRATIVE AND CRIMINAL CASES IF WARRANTED
Manila, Philippines — October 29, 2025. The Philippine Anti-Corruption Czar (PACC), under the leadership of Chairman Dr. Louie F. Ceniza, PhD, has called for a comprehensive Senate and Executive investigation into the alleged widespread anomalies within the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), following audit findings, media reports, and citizen complaints pointing to possible collusion, overpricing, delays, and misuse of public funds in multi-billion-peso infrastructure projects.
At the start of this full investigation, the PACC strongly recommends that all personalities involved in the planning, construction, and approval of questionable projects be immediately suspended pending the outcome of the probe. This preventive suspension is necessary to protect the integrity of the investigation, ensuring that no official or contractor can tamper with, alter, or compromise documentary and physical evidence.
“Transparency and accountability demand that those under investigation step aside temporarily. This is not an accusation—it is a preventive measure to safeguard truth and justice,” Chairman Ceniza emphasized.
The PACC confirmed that it has formally recommended to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), created under Executive Order No. 94, conduct a full-scale investigation covering all PPA infrastructure projects from 2016 to the present.
The PACC also pledged its technical and legal support to the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI), Commission on Audit (COA), and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to ensure that every irregularity is verified, documented, and prosecuted.
“We will not allow corruption to hide behind the ports,” said Chairman Louie F. Ceniza, “If warranted, PACC will help file administrative and criminal charges in court against PPA officials and contractors found to have colluded in any irregularity.”
Last week, the PACC announced that its corps of volunteer professionals—engineers, auditors, accountants, lawyers, and forensic experts—have pledged to assist the government as an independent, third-party investigation group, at no cost to the government.
These volunteer teams will conduct technical audits, site inspections, forensic documentation, and evidence validation, supporting the government’s official investigation with independent expertise.
PACC President VADM Andres Visaya (PCRGA) emphasized that the organization’s mission is to empower citizens to participate in good governance and to eliminate corruption—the “cancer of society.”
“While everyone is busy exposing corruption in the DPWH, the Philippine Ports Authority has allegedly been celebrating their own corruption activities, thinking no one is watching,” President Visaya said. “That ends now. The PACC will make sure that no agency escapes accountability.”
The Commission on Audit (COA) has issued multiple red flags against the PPA in its 2022 and 2023 audit reports, uncovering untitled properties, unnecessary expenses, suspended projects, and potential misuse of funds.
COA found that PPA recorded 3.925 million square meters of land and reclaimed areas worth ₱73.548 billion without Original or Transfer Certificates of Title, including over 1.4 million square meters in NCR South valued at ₱41.52 billion, with a disputed 606,074-square-meter port area worth ₱10.92 billion.
A separate property worth ₱17.2 billion is also claimed by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), resulting in double-booking of public assets. Another ₱166.58-million parcel in the South Harbor Expanded Port Zone is disputed by the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR).
In its 2023 report, COA flagged ₱18.48 million worth of office furniture, computers, and high-end gadgets purchased as “reimbursable items” within infrastructure contracts—procurements that inflated project costs and created oversupply, in violation of COA Circular 2012-001.
Five locally funded projects worth ₱1.94 billion were suspended due to missing Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs), rising material costs, and overlaps with private dredging activities. COA cited inadequate planning, deficient engineering design, and risk management failures, recommending that PPA return or reprogram unutilized funds.
The Senate is currently investigating a ₱168-million procurement for 191 body-worn cameras in 2020, each reportedly priced at ₱879,000. Senator Raffy Tulfo, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, questioned why such a costly contract was awarded to Boston Home, a company with only ₱10 million paid-up capital and minimal operational capacity. PACC urged that this contract, along with a follow-up 2021 procurement, be examined for possible overpricing, supplier collusion, and procurement manipulation.
The Administrative Order No. 04-2021 (AO 04-2021) of the PPA, which establishes the Trusted Operator Program–Container Registry Monitoring System (TOP-CRMS) and Empty Container Storage Shared Service Facility (ECSSSF), has also drawn outrage from business and logistics groups. Organizations such as the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCI), and PHILEXPORT claim the policy will raise importation costs by up to 50 percent or ₱35 billion annually, worsen inflation, and potentially violate the Philippine Competition Act. Stakeholders argue that AO 04-2021 was issued without Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) and could create monopolistic control over logistics operations.
The PACC also confirmed receiving reports that certain contractors and PPA officials have allegedly colluded in project bidding and implementation, resulting in overpriced contracts, poor-quality outputs, and manipulated inspection reports.
Chairman Ceniza said that if validated, the PACC will recommend to the Office of the President and relevant authorities the freezing and auditing of assets, bank accounts, and properties of all officials and contractors involved.
“We will request the President to direct a lifestyle check and asset freeze against those involved,” Chairman Ceniza said. “If the evidence proves corruption, we will pursue administrative, civil, and criminal cases until justice is served.”
Between 2016 and 2021, the PPA reported spending ₱19.87 billion for the completion of 240 port projects under the Build, Build, Build program. From 2022 to 2024, the agency handled ₱23.484 billion in 66 ongoing projects across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, including:
• ₱902-million Sasa Port Expansion in Davao City
• ₱934-million Babatngon Port Development in Leyte
• ₱853-million Capinpin Port Expansion in Bataan
• ₱620-million Jubang Cruise Terminal in Siargao
However, multiple local government units and stakeholders have raised red flags over delays, cost overruns, and substandard construction in several of these projects.
The PACC has committed to work hand-in-hand with ICI, COA, NBI, and DOTr in examining every PPA project from 2016 to the present, verifying expenditures, contracts, and actual accomplishments.
The goal, Chairman Ceniza said, is to strengthen transparency and accountability in the infrastructure sector and ensure that every public peso produces tangible benefits for the Filipino people.
“The PACC will stand beside President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Senate in ensuring that corruption has no safe harbor,” Chairman Ceniza emphasized. “The Filipino people deserve ports built with integrity, not with deception.”
The Philippine Anti-Corruption Czar (PACC) is a volunteer-driven movement composed of lawyers, engineers, auditors, accountants, and forensic investigators united by one mission—to fight corruption at all levels of government.
The PACC works alongside state institutions, offering technical assistance, documentation, and evidence collection without cost to the government, with the goal of recovering misused funds and restoring trust in public service.
“We will not stop until every ghost project, fake billing, and collusion scheme is exposed and punished,” Chairman Ceniza declared. “This is not about politics—it’s about protecting the Filipino people and securing the nation’s future from the cancer of corruption.”
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