MANILA — Farmers’ group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) has called on Congress to investigate the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) proposed P16-billion ($288 million) Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) budget for 2026, warning that corruption and political patronage could further bloat the P300-billion ($5.4 billion) backlog of 36,000 kilometers of unfinished farm roads.

Based on DA’s own estimates, each kilometer of FMR costs around P15 million ($270,000), but farmers fear that funds are being siphoned off through collusion among agencies, officials, and contractors. 

“Farm-to-Market Roads are supposed to be lifelines for farmers. However, they risk becoming Farm-to-Pocket Roads due to corruption,” KMP said.

“Even in a lifetime, the backlog in FMRs will not be finished if funds continue to be lost to corruption, similar to what happened to flood control projects,” KMP warned.

As of August 2025, verified but unfunded FMR project proposals already amount to P286.54 billion ($5.16 billion), or more than 20,000 kilometers of unbuilt farm roads.

The biggest gaps are in Region 11 (Davao Region), with over 7,000 kilometers worth P65.5 billion ($1.18 billion), and Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), with 2,707 kilometers worth P36.5 billion ($657 million).

Despite this, billions are disproportionately funneled into political strongholds. For 2026, Marcos bailiwick Ilocos Norte is set to corner 30 percent of Region 1’s P1.1-billion ($19.8 million) FMR budget, while Romualdez stronghold Leyte will receive more than P300 million ($5.4 million) from Region 8 (Eastern Visayas)’s P915-million ($16.5 million) share.

The FMR Network Plan requires local governments to prepare localized FMR maps and inventories, with monitoring systems like GeoAgri and Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Management Information System (ABEMIS) meant to track progress and prevent corruption.

Yet farmers argue that without transparency and accountability, billions of pesos risk being diverted to contractors and political patrons.

“Year after year, billions are allocated but the projects remain unfinished. Where does the money go? It must also be revealed how much the SOPs and kickbacks are in the Farm-to-Market Roads. Contractors and politicians benefiting from this should not escape accountability,” KMP stressed as it urged an immediate probe into these heavily funded infrastructure projects.

The DA itself has admitted that poor logistics—largely due to the lack of farm roads—causes 12.7 to 15 percent of rice production (about 450,000 metric tons) and 30 percent of vegetable harvests to go to waste annually. Farmers warned that if corruption persists, the FMR backlog “will not be finished even in a lifetime,” drawing parallels to irregularities flagged in flood control projects.

The DA, under Secretary Francisco “Tiu” Laurel Jr., has ordered a comprehensive audit of all farm-to-market road projects conducted since 2021. This audit is intended to validate the roads, check what has actually been built, and determine whether taxpayer money has been properly used.

“Every year that the government fails to close this gap on FMRs means more wasted harvests, higher food prices, and deeper poverty in the countryside. Every peso for the FMR must go to roads for farmers—not into the pockets of politicians and contractors,” KMP declared.

The group called on farmers and anti-corruption advocates to take part in the broad protest actions on September 21, aimed at expressing public outrage over what they described as President Marcos Jr.’s legacy of corruption. (RTS, JDS)

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