DOJ to summon ex-DPWH officials over ghost projects
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Subpoenas to scores of individuals, including former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials and engineers, will be issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) as it begins the preliminary investigation into five major cases in connection with the alleged “ghost” flood control projects in the Bulacan First District Engineering Office (B1-DEO).
This was confirmed by Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon, who said the five cases have been assigned to a panel of prosecutors, with subpoenas expected to be sent out within the week or by next week at the latest.
He stressed that the initial focus of the five cases remains strictly on the officials and private sector individuals involved at the local engineering district level.
Fadullon said, “The more prominent of them, you already know, would be Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza, and several other personalities.”
The DOJ official was apparently referring to former officials of the DPWH-B1-DEO who have been previously linked to the anomalies.
The probe covers cases of ghost projects where funds were released but no construction was found in the First District of Bulacan. These cases also involve contractors who allegedly “lent their license” to secure the flood control projects.
Fadullon categorically said that no current or former lawmakers—neither senators nor congressmen—are included in the charges currently under preliminary investigation.
He clarified that the five cases are centered on the participation and criminal liability within the District Engineering Office and its collaborating contractors.
The charges to be investigated include malversation, falsification of public documents, perjury, and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The move follows the referral of investigation reports to the Office of the Ombudsman concerning the anomalous flood control projects, which subsequently returned the information and deputized the DOJ to conduct the preliminary investigation, acknowledging the DOJ’s prior evaluation of the evidence.
