A building of the Department of Public Works and Highways at Brgy. Pinyahan in Quezon City caught fire on Wednesday, reaching the third alarm before firefighters put it out after about an hour and 10 minutes.
The DPWH-Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS) is the research and standards-setting arm of the agency responsible for fostering innovation in construction technology and improving public infrastructure. It also houses the testing site of materials for DPWH-Mimaropa, according to DPWH Assistant Secretary Melody Villar said.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla raised suspicion over the fire amid the mounting allegations of corruption linked to multibillion-peso flood control projects, calling the incident “disturbing.”
“We’re just worried that it might stifle some or become an excuse to evade responsibility,” Remulla said.
“I am asking the National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Fire Protection to check if there’s arson, whether it was intentional or an accident. It would be easy to determine if it is arson.”
“I’m sure that there are backup documents. It is a working day so people were able to save their computers, which contain the information,” Remulla added.
The DPWH, however, said no documents related to the ongoing investigation into anomalous flood control projects were in the BRS building that caught fire.
“Initial findings indicate that the fire originated from a computer unit inside the Materials Testing Division that reportedly exploded. No employees were harmed during the incident,” the DPWH said in a statement.
An investigation team to assess the fire incident has been deployed and is currently conducting a thorough assessment to determine the full extent of the damage and to prevent similar incidents in the future, the department said.
Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) chairman Andres Reyes Jr. said while the documents housed at the DPWH-BRS building did not involve flood control projects, documents with the Commission on Audit (COA) must be secured.
“We have to secure all the records of COA… I know there is a tendency for criminals to burn down the office,” Reyes told senators yesterday.
ICI commissioner Rogelio Singson added: “I hope it is not arson.”
Reyes noted that as per the testimony of sacked DPWH-Bulacan engineer Brice Hernandez, the testing office receives 1% per voucher.
“So, the 1% documentation is gone,” Senator Francis Pangilinan said.
