DILG, church group unite vs ‘ghost projects’

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

Laoag City—The Department of Interior and Local Government and the different church groups in Ilocos Norte are ready to hunt for ghost projects should they exist in Ilocos Norte’s 557 barangays.

Acting DILG provincial director Roger Daquioag said the program dubbed “Ugnayan ng Barangay at Simbahan” or UBAS is a partnership between the barangays and parishes to pool resources and synchronize efforts in the advocacy of good governance and discourage the presence of the so-called ghost projects in the community.

Set to be launched at the DILG-Region 1 before the year ends, Mr. Daquioag said they are now currently coordinating with church leaders here for the conduct of an orientation about the specific implementation of the program to have a systematic reporting scheme.

After the launching at the regional level, the program will soon follow suit at province, city and municipal levels.

“This is a good development so that we can monitor projects mostly located in the barangays through partnership between the DILG and the church,” he said.

Unlike in previous years when complainants would go directly to the national level, Mr. Daquioag said the complaints regarding projects in the barangays may now be validated at the local level through the UBAS.

Aligned to the call of the Aquino administration in advocating participation of various sectors in the community to promote transparency, responsibility, accountability and honesty in governance at the local level, local officials and the church have welcomed this initiative and expressed full support to the program.

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