DPWH exec quits amid alleged contractor ties

Department of Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Arrey Perez resigned from his post yesterday hours after Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Leviste accused him of having ties with contractors.

- By EMMANUEL TUPAS

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon confirmed Perez's irrevocable resignation in a press conference in Clark, Pampanga.

"He does not want to be a burden and a distraction because he knows how heavy our work is, so he tendered his irrevocable resignation and I accepted it," Dizon said.

Dizon clarified they will still investigate Perez despite the latter's resignation.

Perez was among those Dizon brought to the DPWH as his undersecretaries, alongside Rico Bernabe, Nicasio Conti, lawyer Raffy Turgano and retired police generals Arthur Bisnar and Charles Calima.

Dizon lamented that based on rumors, they lost an honest and hardworking official in Perez, who once served as chief regulatory officer of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.

While he welcomed Leviste's initiative, Dizon maintained that allegations of wrongdoing should be based on facts and not mere gossip.