Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Friday said that 17 officials and employees of the agency are under preventive suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman due to their connection to irregularities in flood control projects.
The suspension order was issued following graft charges filed against these officials last week.
Dizon said that most of the DPWH officials suspended were from DPWH Bulacan district office.
The DPWH Secretary said that the agency is targeting to file at least one corruption case every week as the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) intensifies its probe on alleged anomalous flood control projects.
“The 17 DPWH officials and employees are under preventive suspension, facing charges related to anomalous flood control projects in Bulacan,” he said.
The DPWH officials were accused of violating laws such as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and malversation of public funds.
Among the officials involved in the flood control projects are former District Engineer Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, and Jaypee Mendoza, who were already dismissed from their positions.
Dizon said the DPWH is conducting a thorough investigation into anomalous projects, with plans to launch a transparency portal to disclose findings and actions taken.
The flood control projects, which are in question, were being tagged as ghost or graft-ridden projects, either through the lack of necessary supporting documents, non-existence of any civil works, discrepancy in the pinpointed location and even flawed approved bid plans.
The said projects have been allocated with a total cost of P389.6 million.
The DPWH has also blacklisted contractors involved in anomalous projects, including St. Timothy Construction, SYMS Construction Trading, Wawao Builders, and IM Construction.
Recently, President Marcos directed the expedited investigation and prosecution of corrupt officials, emphasizing accountability and transparency in government projects.
