2 Former Assistant DPWH Engineers Sacked

Two former assistant district engineers in Bulacan have been dismissed from the Department of Public Works and Highways as part of the agency's crackdown on anomalous flood control projects, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said yesterday.

- By MARK ERNEST VILLEZA

Dizon confirmed that summary dismissal proceedings were instituted against former Bulacan first district assistant engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza, along with former district engineer Henry Alcantara.

"Alcantara, Hernandez and Mendoza have been dismissed from the DPWH. For the others, the process of their dismissal has already begun," Dizon said in Filipino.

The DPWH chief also disclosed that more contractors have been blacklisted for their alleged involvement in irregular projects. These include St. Timothy Construction Corp., SYMS Construction Trading, Wawao Builders and IM Construction Corp., which are among the respondents in the graft complaint the department filed with the Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday.

Mindoro projects

The DPWH will file fresh cases next week against officials and contractors linked to alleged ghost and substandard flood control projects, Secretary Dizon announced on Friday.

At a press conference, Dizon said the cases will involve projects in Oriental Mindoro. He added that Gov. Humerlito Dolor has agreed to join him in filing the complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman.

"This will be the second case we are filing. Our lawyers and team are already preparing it. The first batch was only the beginning," Dizon said.

President Marcos earlier ordered the creation of an Infrastructure Commission of Inquiry (ICI) to investigate questionable projects over the past 10 years, including those implemented during previous administrations.