Leonen: SC reviewing DPWH-built halls of justice amid flood control controversy

Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said the Supreme Court (SC) is currently reviewing contracts for halls of justice constructed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) after discovering that some of the contractors were among those who cornered a majority of flood control projects nationwide.

“We are also surveying because there were projects that were included in the budget for some of our halls of justice which were outside the judiciary’s budget,” Leonen said.

The justice clarified that most of the projects have already been completed but emphasized that the SC is conducting due diligence to ensure transparency and accountability.

“But in order to make sure that we were not shortchanged, we are doing our own due diligence,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the fire that broke out at the DPWH office in Quezon City on Wednesday.

In a statement, Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic Clavano said Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla instructed the NBI to determine whether the fire was intentional or accidental.

The DPWH is currently at the center of controversy after some of its officials and personnel were implicated and charged before the Ombudsman over the multi-billion-peso “ghost” and substandard flood control projects across the country.

“The Ombudsman is aware of the ongoing fire incident at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) office in Quezon City,” Clavano said.“The Ombudsman has directed the immediate coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to determine the cause of the fire and to establish whether arson or any deliberate act was committed,” he added.