By Ferdinand Patinio | Philippine News Agency
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Sec. Vince Dizon on Thursday filed corruption cases against 20 personnel of the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office (DEO) and four private contractors before the Office of the Ombudsman.
These include cases for violation of Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act); Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code (Malversation of Public Funds), in relation to Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code; Republic Act 9184; and other related laws.
Those charged before the Ombudsman are 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 contractors who were charged with related violations of the law are Sally Santos of SYMS Construction Trading; Mark Allan Arevalo of Wawao Builders; Ma. Roma Angeline Rimando with beneficial owner Cezarah Rowena Discaya of St. Timothy Construction Corporation; and Robert 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. This is just the beginning while the Independent Commission that our President is yet to establish does not exist,” 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,” the DPWH chief added.
He also encouraged the public to report possible anomalous projects or DPWH officials so that they can be held accountable.
Office uniform use suspended
Dizon, meanwhile, suspended the wearing of office uniforms by DPWH personnel amid the ongoing investigation on flood control projects.
“All officials of the DPWH are nevertheless expected to report for duty in appropriate and presentable attire at all times,” Dizon said in a memorandum dated Sept. 9 and made public Thursday.
Dizon said the move seeks to protect DPWH personnel from bullying and harassment amid the ongoing investigation into the multi-billion-peso worth of anomalous flood control projects, the agency said in a Facebook post.
