26 infra contractors face assets seizure

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has teamed up with several government agencies to trace and recover properties possibly linked to the corruption involving public infrastructure funds.

In an interview at the Senate on Thursday, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said they are working with four key agencies — the Land Registration Authority, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Maritime Industry Authority and Land Transportation Office — to compile a list of high-value assets and real properties connected to 26 contractors under investigation over anomalous flood control projects.

Dizon said investigators are tracking vehicles, yachts, aircraft, helicopters, and real estate believed to be tied to ill-gotten wealth.

“We also need to know about this and eventually these assets need to be frozen as well. Because we need to make sure that we can recover everything we possibly can from those who stole the people’s funds,” Dizon said, adding that a consolidated list is expected in the coming days.

The list will be turned over to the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the Department of Justice, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the newly created Independent Commission for Infrastructure, which is leading the probe.

Dizon stressed that the steps — property identification, investigation, asset freezing, and legal action — will now serve as the DPWH’s standard template in corruption-related cases.

“We will do all of these processes, these steps, for all the cases we are going to file. This will be a template that we will repeat and submit to the ICI,” he said.

He warned that individuals using “dummies” or front entities to hide assets will not be spared. “If we have evidence that will point to their dummy, we will include them, too,” Dizon added.

Later in the day, Dizon accompanied Commission on Audit officials to the Ombudsman to file new cases against another group of individuals allegedly involved in the misuse of public funds.

The DPWH has already submitted documents from Mindoro to the ICI and its special adviser, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong.