Ombudsman slaps DICT exec with six-month suspension
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary for E-Government David Almirol Jr. was hit with a six month suspension over his alleged conflict of interest on P1.55-billion worth of government contracts awarded to a tech firm.
In a decision released on Wednesday, the Office of the Ombudsman said that it had found records pertaining to Almirol’s failure to divest in Multisys Technologies Corporation–a company that had financial relationships with companies that were awarded contracts from the DICT.
The Ombudsman noted that it was the undersecretary that had founded and led Multisys since 2010, prior to his subsequent appointment to his current post in 2022.
Almirol had led the development of the eGov Super App which was officially launched the following year.
The contracts that were subject of the complaint filed against Almirol were awarded to companies related to Multisys between November 2023 to May 2025, involving projects such as web-based messaging services, technological consultancy, and data center colocation.
An audit conducted on the financial statements of Multisys found that it had revenues from the companies that won the contracts amounting to P625.4-million contained under “managed services.”
Also indicated in the order was a report from the Securities and Exchange Commission which outlined how Alimirol had a 49.21 percent share in the technological company even after taking over his current role.
The Ombudsman pointed out that it went against Section 9 of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees which indicates that individuals had a 60-day period from assumption of office to divest their business interests.
He was later removed from the list of stockholders in a notarized General Information Sheet received by the SEC on 21 November 2022.
The anti-graft body affirmed in its seven-page order that the aforementioned findings formed sufficient grounds to preventively suspend Almiro while the administrative complaint against him was pending.
The said complaint involved allegations of grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and violations of Republic Act No. 6713.
It was noted that Almirol’s continued stay in his office “could prejudice the investigation” due to his control and custody of documents relevant to the case.
The Ombudsman further stressed that the order was immediately executory and confirmed that it had submitted a copy of the same to DICT Secretary Robert Joseph de Claro for compliance.
“The Office of the Ombudsman emphasizes that preventive suspension is not a penalty or a determination of administrative liability, but a precautionary measure intended to preserve the integrity of the proceedings and ensure an impartial and unimpeded investigation,” the anti-graft body said in a statement.