The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has asked several government agencies to identify properties owned by 26 of its officials and private contractors now facing graft cases before the Office of the Ombudsman over alleged anomalous infrastructure projects in Bulacan.
DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon wrote to the Land Transportation Office, Land Registration Authority, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and Maritime Industry Authority, requesting lists of vehicles, real estate, aircraft, and watercraft registered under the names of the individuals implicated in the multi-billion-peso flood control controversy.
Dizon explained that the move aims to prevent the disposal of properties believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities, citing Section 3(i) of Republic Act 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA). He earlier sought the assistance of the Anti-Money Laundering Council in securing freeze orders from the Court of Appeals, which have since been granted.
Those named include 20 DPWH personnel from Bulacan, among them former assistant regional and district engineers, section chiefs, and project engineers, along with six officers of private firms such as St. Timothy Construction Corporation, Wawao Builders, SYMS Construction Trading, and IM Construction Corporation.
Separate investigations by Congress and the DPWH found evidence linking the officials and contractors to ghost, incomplete, and substandard flood control projects. The department has filed complaints against them for violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, malversation, falsification, and the Government Procurement Reform Act.
Meanwhile, Dizon and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), led by retired Supreme Court Justice Andres Reyes Jr., met with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte to discuss similar irregularities in local flood control projects. They inspected sites including the Matalahib Creek Pump Station and the Mariblo and Sta. Cruz pumping stations, after Belmonte reported that 66 listed projects could not be located in the city.
