DPWH eyes weekly filing of cases as over 100 projects probed

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is targeting to file at least one corruption case every week as the Marcos administration's newly established Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) intensifies its probe on alleged anomalous flood control projects.

During the House hearing on the agency’s proposed 2026 budget, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon on Wednesday said the first case was filed against 26 individuals, with more lawsuits in the pipeline.

"We are preparing three more cases as of the moment but we are already in the process of investigating more than a hundred projects nationwide," Dizon said.

Dizon's statement comes a day after the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) announced a freeze order covering 135 bank accounts and 27 insurance policies of individuals and corporations linked to alleged anomalous flood control projects.

The list of individuals and corporations covered by the freeze order was not immediately available, but the DPWH request to the AMLC carried the names of 26 individuals, whom Dizon had said were the same names that are facing graft complaints with the Office of the Ombudsman.

They include several contractors, such as St. Timothy Construction Corp.'s Ma. Roma Angeline Rimando, Cezarah "Sarah" Rowena Discaya, Pacifico "Curlee" Discaya II; Wawao Builders' Mark Allan Arevalo; SYMS Construction Trading's Sally Santos, and IM Construction Corp.'s Robert Imperio.

Also named in the DPWH request are agency officials such as former DPWH OIC-Assistant Regional Director Henry Alcantara, former DPWH Officer-in Charge (OIC) District Engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez, former OIC-Assistant District Engineer Jaypee Mendoza, Construction Section chief John Michael Ramos, and Ernesto Galang of the Planning and Design Section.

Working with independent commission

Meanwhile, the DPWH chief said that with the creation of the independent commission, the agency has been able to step up its efforts for case buildup and future filings.

"Ngayon po na naitayo na ang ICI, kami po ngayon ay nakikipag-coordinate na sa ICI para sa future filing of new cases and based on my discussion with ICI in the past few days ang goal po ay tuloy-tuloy po ang pagfa-file at targeting po na at least one case every week and ifa-file. At least," he said.

(Now that the ICI has been established, we are coordinating with them for the future filing of new cases. Based on my discussions with the ICI in the past few days, the goal is the continuous filing of cases, targeting at least one case every week to be filed.)

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. recently unveiled the composition of the ICI, the body tasked to investigate anomalous flood control projects. It is chaired by former Supreme Court justice Andres Reyes Jr.

Created through Executive Order 94, the ICI shall investigate and evaluate evidence and reports against individuals involved in any irregularities regarding flood control and other infrastructure projects in the country.

The ICI shall prioritize the investigation of flood control and other infrastructure projects within the last ten years from the effectivity of the executive order. 

Based on its findings, the body shall recommend civil and administrative cases or actions against those responsible to the appropriate disciplinary, prosecutorial, and administrative bodies, such as the Office of the President, Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice, and the Civil Service Commission. 

Leaner DPWH budget

During the hearing, Dizon presented the proposed budget of the agency, noting it was reduced from over P881 billion to over P625 billion after a review—removing around P255 billion. 

He said the department scrapped all locally funded flood control projects and addressed the issues raised in the initial version of the budget, such as the funding of completed and duplicate projects.

"The resubmitted budget of DPWH is close to 30%, to be exact, 28.9% lower than the originally submitted P881 billion peso budget. It is now P625.78 billion. That is 255.53 billion [pesos] lower than the originally proposed budget," he noted. — VDV, GMA Integrated News