Acting Ombudsman Dante F. Vargas has ordered the preventive suspension of 16 personnel from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office effective September 18, 2025 (Thursday). The suspension comes after DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon filed criminal complaints against several DPWH personnel on September 15, 2025 (Monday) and Commission on Audit (COA) Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba endorsed additional fraud audit reports relative to flood control projects located in the municipalities of Plaridel, Pandi, and Bocaue.
The flood control projects in question are being tagged as ghost or graft-ridden projects, either through the lack of necessary supporting documents, non-existence of any civil works, discrepancy in the pinpointed location and even flawed approved bid plans. The said projects have been allocated a total cost of PHP 389.6 million.
The suspension order was issued to prevent the personnel concerned from exerting influence over the ongoing investigation, as well as to safeguard public records and ensure that accountability measures can proceed without obstruction. ###
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