DICT's Almirol denies conflict of interest involving his old firm

Suspended Undersecretary David Almirol of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Thursday denied participation in any prohibited deal due to conflict of interest, saying he already divested from private firm Multisys within the 60 days from assuming public office as required by the law.

Almirol was responding to the Ombudsman's six-month suspension order against him over the P1.55 billion in government contracts that were awarded to firms with financial links to Multisys, a company he founded in 2010.

Almirol said that it was Multisys that belatedly filed its General Information Sheet before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

“I firmly maintain that there was no conflict of interest. I had already fully divested my interests in Multisys since September 1, 2022, after I assumed office in August 4, 2022 which addressed the 60-day divestment requirement. The late filing of the GIS was out of my control,” he said.

He also said that the DICT did not award any government contract to Multisys.

“No DICT contract was awarded to Multisys. The contracts in question were awarded to PLDT group [of] companies, which were already providing services to government, including DICT, before I took office. All of them went through the Bids and Awards Committee and competitive bidding,” Almirol said.

In addition, Almirol said that he joined the government in good faith and with genuine intention and passion to bring reforms after long years in Multisys.

“I was inspired working tirelessly following the directive of the President to streamline government services; optimize repetitive processes; eliminate unneccessary bloated ICT expenses; and use technology to implement government transparency and curb corruption,” said Almirol, who was appointed DICT Undersecretary for E-Government in August 2022 and would later lead the development and rollout of the eGovPH Super App.

“I stand by my integrity and my record of public service. I trust that the complete facts will speak for themselves. I pray that God will free us with the truth,” he added.

Be that as it may, Almirol said he will face the allegations against him squarely.

“I respect the Office of the Ombudsman and its duty to investigate and uphold accountability in public service. I will comply with its Order and cooperate fully with the proceedings,” he said.

“My commitment to serving the Filipino people and advancing digital government remains sincere and firm,” he added. — BM, GMA News

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