The Department of Public Works and Highways isnโt done cleaning house. DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon confirmed Wednesday that more personnel are set to be placed under preventive suspension, signaling that the investigation into the flood control mess is far from over. His message was blunt: the ongoing scandal runs deep, and the agency isnโt stopping at the initial wave of suspensions.
Dizonโs statement comes after Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III revealed that 49 employees are undergoing administrative proceedings, with 40 already suspended, as part of the DPWHโs internal probe and its cooperation with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure and the Office of the Ombudsman. Criminal complaints have also been filed against 63 individuals, though details remain under wraps.
The hammer has been falling harder since the Ombudsman filed graft and malversation cases against controversial contractor Sarah Discaya and eight DPWH officials over a P96.5-million โghostโ flood control project in Davao Occidental. The project, awarded in early 2022 to Discayaโs St. Timothy Construction, was reportedly paid in full despite being unbuiltโa revelation that pushed Dizon to storm the site in a widely publicized inspection in September.
With more suspensions coming, the DPWH is making it clear that this is no token crackdownโtheyโre gearing up for a long fight. And in this round, they say theyโre ready to swing until every piece of the scheme is exposed.
Image from DPWH FB