DPWH FILES GRAFT RAPS VS 20 EMPLOYEES, 5 CONTRACTORS IN FLOOD CONTROL MESS

DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon on Thursday filed charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against 20 personnel of the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office (DEO) and five private contractors over anomalous flood control projects.

Dizon personally filed the graft and corruption, and malversation complaints against former Bulacan 1st DEO district engineer Henry Alcantara; former assistant district engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez; Construction section’s Jaypee Mendoza and John Michael Ramos; Planning and Design section chief Ernesto Galang; Maintenance section’s Lorenzo Pagtalunan and Jaime Hernandez; Quality Assurance section chief Norberto Santos; Administrative section chief Floralyn Simbulan; Finance section’s Juanito Mendoza; Budget Unit head Roberto Roque; Procurement Unit head Benedict Matawaran; cashier Christina Mae Pineda; project engineers Paul Jayson Duya, Merg Jaron Laus, Lemuel Ephraim Roque, Arjay Domasig, John Carlo Rivera, John Benex Francisco; and engineer Jolo Mari Tayao.

The cases were filed against them for allegedly releasing the payment for the unfinished or non-existent projects.

The 20 DPWH personnel were also charged with violating the Government Procurement Act.

Also facing charges were the five contractors from the private construction companies. They were identified as Sally N. Santos of SYMS Construction Trading; Mark Allan V. Arevalo of Wawao Builders; Ma. Roma Angeline D. Rimando of St. Timothy Construction Corporation; Cezarah Rowena C. Discaya of St. Timothy Construction Corporation; and Robert T. Imperio of IM Construction Corporation.

The filing of cases is in response to the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to hold accountable those involved in anomalies in flood control projects in the province of Bulacan.

“This is what our President said. Over and over again, starting from his SONA, to his numerous inspections on the ground. Everyone who needs to be held accountable should be held accountable. Even if they are his acquaintances, his friends, his allies, everyone should be held accountable,” Dizon said in a statement.

“We will all get the justice that we all deserve as Filipinos. The President has assured us of that, and this is proof of that. Within 10 days, we will not enter the DPWH, the President said, “hurry up”. This is it, we are expediting it. And this is just the first of many more cases to come,” Dizon added.

The newly-installed DPWH chief urged the public to report possible anomalous projects or DPWH officials so that they can be held accountable.