Manila - The Philippine government will investigate allegations of corruption in a road project funded by the World Bank, which blacklisted seven companies due to the charges, officials said Thursday.

Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya said the Department of Public Works and Highway already temporarily suspended the firms - three Filipino and four Chinese - from participating in locally-funded or foreign-assisted projects.

The department will make a decision on whether to start blacklisting procedures against the companies in 15 days, he said.

The Office of the Ombudsman was also expected to complete a fact-finding investigation into public officials alleged to be involved in the World Bank road project by the first week of February, Andaya said.

"We remain committed in the fight against corruption in government procurement and recent efforts have already paved the way for the approval of new World Bank loans for road improvements," he said.

The World Bank announced the sanctions on the seven firms on Wednesday after an investigation found evidence of bid-rigging in the project.

The investigation stopped the awarding of an estimated 33 million dollars for the project, according to the World Bank.

"We will look into the corruption allegations to make sure we can put a stop to this," said Anthony Golez, a deputy presidential spokesman. "We will file appropriate charges against people who will be found guilty."

Golez added that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered cabinet officials to "review all World Bank-funded projects to verify allegations of corruption made by the multilateral agency." (dpa)