Government crooks and their private sector cohorts caught up in the flood control scams must not only be imprisoned but made to return the stolen funds if Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon has his way.

Dizon, dubbed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s troubleshooter, announced that aside from filing criminal charges and working with the newly established Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will coordinate with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) per the President’s directive.

“Because many have been asking, what will happen to the projects themselves? For example, the projects in Bulacan, the projects in Mindoro?” Dizon quoted skeptics who believe the issue will eventually die out.

The DPWH has formed separate teams to file criminal cases and go after the contractors who mishandled projects.

Dizon said the government will go after “bonds, warranties, and securities in the contracts.”

Flood control structures have a warranty period of five years. “Like when you buy a TV with a warranty, it has to be replaced if it is defective,” Dizon said.

“Obviously, if it is a ghost project, we will go after them. That is written in the contracts. This is part of the contractors’ civil obligation, to return the people’s money,” Dizon stressed.

He said DPWH and AMLC officials will meet on Monday to discuss the freezing and forfeiture of assets of those involved in the massive theft of public funds.

“I must emphasize that it is not enough to imprison them. It is not enough to make them answer for their crimes. The money of the people must be returned. We are talking about billions here. That money must be recovered,” Dizon underlined.

Twin paths

He said complaints received by the Ombudsman will undergo three processes to recover the funds through the bonds in the contracts, warranties, and securities, and the freezing and forfeiture of assets through the AMLC.

According to Dizon, the President’s marching orders is to speed up the filing of cases, ensure that the people’s money is returned, and follow the evidence wherever it leads. “We will spare no one. Accountability and recovery must both happen,” he said.

“For every criminal case we file before the Ombudsman, there will be a parallel process to ensure the return of public funds,” Dizon added.

Barrage of complaints

The secretary said the ongoing investigation and the filing of non-bailable cases against those shown to be involved in corruption at the agency will continue. The Ombudsman should expect weekly case filings, he added.

“We will not stop filing cases before the Ombudsman in the coming days and weeks. Next week, we will be filing the second case. We are already preparing to file charges related to the projects in Oriental Mindoro,” Dizon said.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) will likely slap plunder and malversation of public funds charges against individuals in the perverted contracts after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) completes its preliminary findings, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remula said.

Remulla directed the NBI to pursue the probe into alleged “ghost projects” and said the bureau has started submitting reports to the DoJ.

“We are studying if plunder charges can be filed. Malversation is also likely as the investigation moves forward,” Remulla said.

The creation of the ICI was also defended by Remulla, saying it is a fact-finding body whose work the DoJ would rely on.

He said the executive order establishing the ICI had taken into consideration past constitutional concerns about similar commissions. He emphasized the DoJ’s actions would depend on the evidence produced and the level of cooperation from those involved.

Budding grafters’ scam

Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson exposed a new moneymaking scheme allegedly operated by junior DPWH personnel, describing it as part of the deepening culture of corruption.

In a television interview, Lacson revealed that district-level junior staff were charging contractors exorbitant fees per page of various project documents, on top of regular “commissions” and so-called “obligations” demanded from contractors.

“Corruption has become systemic where the greed has evolved. Now they add requirements that cost money per page of bidding documents and material testing reports,” Lacson said in Filipino.

“Even individual page of documentary requirements comes at a price,” he added.

Lacson cited confidential reports detailing how contractors are extorted under the guise of processing fees. Some of the alleged charges include Variation Orders: P10,000 for the document, plus P2,000 per page per request; Planning & Design Section Documents: at least P50,000 for a soft copy (varies by region); Materials Testing Report: 1 percent of total amount (e.g., P750,000 for a P75-million project);

Bid Documents: at least P50,000, depending on region; Initial Billing Inspection: P5,000 per inspector; plus P10,000 and P5,000 per signatory if handled by DPWH “insiders”; Final Billing: P75,000 + P5,000 per project engineer; Quality Assurance from Central Office: P50,000 requested directly by the District Engineer; and the Construction Performance Evaluation System (CPES): between P50,000 and P200,000.

“The junior personnel see their district engineers getting rich, so they decided to get rich as well,” Lacson said.

Blue Ribbon probe continues

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III assured that the Blue Ribbon panel will not terminate its probe on anomalous flood control projects even with the creation of an independent commission.

In a Viber message to reporters, Sotto said the House of Representatives may terminate its investigation, but not the Senate.

“We will continue in aid of legislation,” he said.

In a separate statement, committee chairman Lacson rejected suggestions the Senate halt its inquiry now that Malacañang has created an independent commission.

“The Senate Blue Ribbon probe and the work of the independent commission are complementary. They won’t compete with each other,” Lacson said.

He added that he will maintain a “blindfold mentality” in presiding over the probe into the corruption behind the anomalous flood control projects.