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DPWH seeks charges vs Romualdez, 86 others in flood control scandal
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has recommended criminal and administrative charges against 87 individuals in connection with a flood control corruption scandal.
The individuals recommended for charges include former Speaker Martin G. Romualdez, former Public Works Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, former DPWH undersecretaries Roberto R. Bernardo and Maria Catalina E. Cabral, Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva, Senator Jose P. Ejercito Estrada, Jr., former Senator Ramon B. Revilla, Jr., Commission on Audit Commissioner Mario G. Lipana, contractor Cezarah C. Discaya, and Elizady S. Co.
The charges recommended by the DPWH, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), and the Department of Justice include plunder, malversation, graft, and bribery.
The investigation was initiated following President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.'s directive to investigate flood control projects.
President Marcos previously stated that approximately P100 billion of the P545 billion allocated for flood control projects since 2022 had been cornered by only 15 contractors.
Within the DPWH, 90 individuals have faced dismissal or suspension with ongoing administrative cases.
The DPWH intends to conduct a recruitment tour in January to hire young engineers and accountants as part of its reform initiatives.
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The camp of former Speaker Martin Romualdez stated that the Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) recommendation to file plunder, graft, and direct bribery complaints against him is merely a recommendation and not a finding of guilt.
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Former DPWH National Capital Region Director Gerard Opulencia returned P40 million to the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of his commitment to return P150 million in kickbacks.
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Contractor Cezarah Discaya and nine others face non-bailable charges of graft and malversation in connection with a P96.5 million alleged ghost flood control project in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental.
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