First 40 arrests loom in nationwide anomalous infra project probe

The government is stepping up its crackdown on anomalous infrastructure projects nationwide, with the first arrests expected soon, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon confirmed Wednesday.

Dizon disclosed that non-bailable charges have been filed against 40 individuals linked to alleged fraudulent projects in Bulacan and Oriental Mindoro, during a chance interview shortly after the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) coordination meeting with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Office of the Ombudsman at Camp Crame, Quezon City.

The command conference, he said, was aimed at streamlining the validation process and expanding the coverage of ongoing inspections.

“The goal is to coordinate and validate our current list of priority projects, especially the suspected ghost projects,” Dizon explained in Filipino.

“We are making sure the teams led by Gen. Azurin and Usec. Bisnar, together with the NBI, PNP, and AFP, can systematically cover all sites, validate documents, and expedite filings of cases.”

He emphasized that the operation involves multiple teams, each consisting of lawyers, engineers, and personnel with full access to DPWH documentation.

This structure is meant to ensure inspections are thorough and that all necessary legal and technical requirements are met before cases are filed, he stressed.

According to Dizon, the initial list of suspected projects was validated by AFP and PNP personnel on the ground, and their participation remains crucial for verification.

“They were the ones in the field initially, so they are still part of the process,” he noted.

Arrests imminent

Dizon also provided updates on the legal process for those implicated in the first cases filed with the Ombudsman.

“The individuals in the first cases filed are expected to be arrested because these are non-bailable cases,” he told reporters.

The DPWH chief cited ongoing cases in Bulacan and Oriental Mindoro involving officials such as the Discaya couple, Brice Hernandez, Henry Alcantara, and former Congressman Zaldy Co.

“In these first two cases alone, around 40 people are expected to be detained,” Dizon added, noting that the Ombudsman targets to file these cases this month, before the holiday season.

“Based on what the Ombudsman said yesterday, it’s almost certain. From my personal count, there are 26 cases in Bulacan and roughly 15 in Oriental Mindoro, so that alone makes about 40 cases,” he said.

The secretary acknowledged the challenges posed by the volume of infrastructure projects nationwide.

“The challenge here is the sheer number of projects that need to be inspected. You can just imagine — there are thousands of projects. Among them alone, there are over 400 suspected ghost projects. Although many have already been validated by Gen. Azurin and the other teams, the process still needs to be sped up,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dizon said his team will submit a report to the ICI on the infrastructure inspections conducted in Cebu within the coming days.

“We held a briefing with officials in Cebu. That master plan was from 2017, but instead of implementing the projects outlined in the plan, different projects were carried out. This issue started when the master plan was released in 2017,” he said.

He added, “So we have to look at that holistically.”