Leviste: DPWH chief removed 2 officials for being contractors

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has reportedly removed two officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) after they were found to be contractors, Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste said on Wednesday.

During the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, Leviste presented documents which showed that Dizon rescinded the officials’ appointments. Leviste did not identify the former DPWH officials.

“Secretary Vince did not know these two were contractors initially, and I thank him for acting quickly once an investigation confirmed this,” the lawmaker said.

Leviste alleged that the two ex-DPWH officials were brought in by former DPWH Arrey Perez, who resigned last October 17 after Leviste questioned Perez’s record in the procurement process. 

Dizon said Perez resigned because he did not want to be a “distraction” for Dizon’s sweeping revamp of the DPWH amid the flood control mess.

In a separate statement, Perez said the “malicious insinuations” against him will only turn his public service “into a political game.”

On Wednesday, Leviste said he received information that an undersecretary of another government agency who became a contractor of flood control projects is also being investigated by authorities.

Leviste added that the investigation also covers officials tagged as proponents in a list of projects from the DPWH central office.

“The government is full of DPWH contractors, and officials from all over government – not only congressmen and senators – try to get insertions. This diverts the budget towards money-making projects like flood control and roads instead of classrooms and hospitals in districts like mine that do not condone buying budgets and bid-rigging,” he said. — JMA, GMA Integrated News