By Erika Mae P. Sinaking and Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporters
THE GOVERNMENT has begun coordinating efforts to recover billions of pesos in assets tied to anomalous infrastructure projects spanning past and present administrations, officials said on Thursday.
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) led an interagency meeting on Thursday that gathered officials from the Office of the Ombudsman, Department of Justice, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Office of the Solicitor General, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and several other agencies to exchange information and align recovery measures.
“This is a collective approach on how we can recover assets that may have been illegally obtained from public funds,” ICI Executive Director Brian Keith F. Hosaka told a news briefing.
He said the AMLC has frozen P4.6 billion to P5 billion in assets across almost 280 bank accounts flagged in investigations. Forfeiture proceedings — independent of criminal prosecution — are also being prepared before the Court of Appeals.
The task force is expected to meet regularly to expedite recovery measures, he added.
Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said a review is under way for contracts awarded in the past decade including those under the Duterte administration. He said special attention is being paid to deals involving Pacifico F. Discaya II and his wife Cezarah Rowena C. Discaya, contractors alleged to have orchestrated a large-scale flood control scam.
The Discayas’ firm, St. Gerrard Construction, partnered in 2017 with CLTG Builders, a company linked to Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go through his father Deciderio L. Go.
Following the Discayas’ refusal to cooperate with the ICI, citing their right against self-incrimination, Mr. Dizon said Ombudsman Jesus Crispin C. Remulla had instructed him to review all related contracts and joint ventures.
At a separate briefing, Mr. Go denied any involvement with the Discayas or the corruption scandal. “I welcome any investigation,” he said. “Let the facts speak for themselves. I am not involved in any anomalies.”
“I support any investigation by the Ombudsman, and I do not know the Discayas,” he added.
ICI Chairman Andres B. Reyes, Jr., a former Supreme Court associate justice, cited the importance of restitution alongside prosecution. “All those persons responsible for this may be prosecuted and jailed, but to completely heal our nation, justice is not enough. We need restitution,” he said in a speech.
The ICI was formed earlier this year to trace, investigate and recover public funds lost to corruption in infrastructure development.
‘CONFLICT OF INTEREST’Meanwhile, Batangas Rep. Leandro Antonio L. Leviste said Mr. Dizon should disclose all alleged ties to construction contractors, including those of his appointees, citing connections surfacing amid the fallout from a widening flood control scandal.
The lawmaker told reporters he had heard talk linking Mr. Dizon and his team to contractors, warning of potential conflicts of interest as the government cracks down on corruption tied to the DPWH’s anomalous flood-control deals.
He offered no proof during his hour-long briefing, saying the claims came from fellow lawmakers. He took a call during the press conference and later said the person on the line was among those accused of having ties.
“I’ve heard talk, including in Congress, that Secretary Dizon and his team have connections with DPWH contractors, and that certain members… are, in fact, contractors,” he said.
“If it’s true that new appointees in DPWH have interests in companies that do business with DPWH, are we sure that there will be no conflict of interest in the awarding of contracts under the new leadership?” he asked.
In response, Mr. Dizon committed to purge the agency from top to bottom following claims that some undersecretaries are connected to flood control contractors.
“We have started and we will cleanse the department from top to bottom,” he separately told a news briefing. “I am open to any information you can provide… My commitment is to fire that person immediately and if needed, we file cases.”
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. last month appointed Mr. Dizon to lead the Public Works department, which has been plagued by allegations of widespread corruption following a multibillion-peso flood control scandal in the flood-prone country.
He has since ordered an agency cleanup and cut the department’s 2026 budget by P255 billion, citing corruption concerns over locally funded flood control deals. — with Ashley Erika O. Jose