Jamaine Punzalan

The Pangan family uses quick-dry cement to build a concrete pathway in front of their house in Barangay Meyto, Calumpit, Bulacan, on September 10, 2025. Raising the ground surrounding their house has become their priority, noting that flood mitigation structures in their area are inadequate to keep floodwaters out of their neighborhood. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

FLOOD CONTROL PROBE - CALUMPIT

Andrea Taguines

ABS-CBN News

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175852565882220250910-flood-control-barangay-meyto-JC0298.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Pangan family uses quick-dry cement to build a concrete pathway in front of their house in Barangay Meyto, Calumpit, Bulacan, on September 10, 2025. Raising the ground surrounding their house has become their priority, noting that flood mitigation structures in their area are inadequate to keep floodwaters out of their neighborhood. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Monday condemned reports of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) personnel’s “widespread destruction and tampering” of official documents related to anomalous flood control projects.</p><p>“Such acts constitute not only a blatant obstruction of ongoing investigations but also a direct assault on the public’s right to transparency and accountability,” the ICI said in a statement.</p><p>“The deliberate concealment or alteration of records undermines the rule of law and weakens the people’s trust in government institutions tasked to safeguard public resources,” it added.</p><p>It warned that any attempt to destroy, falsify or conceal documents related to public works is “a grave offense that carries both administrative and criminal liability.”</p><p>The commission called on DPWH officials and employees “to fully cooperate and preserve the integrity of all documents and evidence under their custody.”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/19/philippines-ghost-flood-projects-leave-residents-stranded-1129">Philippines &#x27;ghost&#x27; flood projects leave residents stranded</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>BAGUIO DISTRICT ENGINEER CHARGED, SUSPENDED OVER ALLEGED DESTRUCTION, TAMPERING OF EVIDENCE</strong></div><p>DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday filed an administrative case against Baguio City District Engineer Rene Zarate for allegedly tampering with or destroying documents related to flood control projects. </p><p>Zarate has also been preventively suspended for 30 days. </p><p>According to Dizon, it was Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong who reported Zarate’s supposed refusal to cooperate with the ICI’s investigation. He said he has sent a team to Baguio to investigate what happened.</p><p>“Whether confirmed or not, kailangan tayong umaksyon nang mabilis… Hindi naman siguro siya magtatago at magsisira kung hindi siya involved diba?” he said.</p><p>“This serves as a warning to everyone in DPWH. Wag na wag kayong magta-tamper o lalong lalo na magsisira ng ebidensya kasi mahuhuli at mahuhuli kayo,” added Dizon.</p><p>Dizon has also come out with a memorandum directing all DPWH district and regional offices to submit to his office within 15 days all documents and information pertaining to flood control projects implemented over the last 3 years.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/21/dizon-tags-zaldy-co-sunwest-inc-in-substandard-flood-projects-in-oriental-mindoro-1228">Dizon tags Zaldy Co, Sunwest Inc. in &#x27;substandard&#x27; flood projects in Oriental Mindoro</a></div><p>These include bidding and procurement documents, contracts with accompanying attachments, and disbursement vouchers among others.</p><p>The memo also obligates DPWH Regional Directors and District Engineers to ensure that data on infrastructure projects from the last 10 years are duly preserved and made readily available upon request.</p><p>“Pag sila ay hindi sumunod, kung ano yung nangyari kay Rene Zarate, mangyayari sa kanila. Sila’y kakasuhan namin administratively at criminally, at sila ay immediately isu-suspend. At pag napatunayan yung kanilang ginawa sila ay immediately madi-dismiss,” said Dizon.</p><p>Should some DPWH personnel succeed in destroying crucial documents, Dizon believes they would be able to find some backup copies.</p><p>“Siyempre nakaka-worry at in-expect na rin natin ito… Marami namang mga kopya yan. Hindi lang naman ang DE ang may kopya. Meron din tayong electronic copies at iba pang kopya sa central office,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/19/ombudsman-orders-preventive-suspension-of-16-dpwh-personnel-1032">Ombudsman suspends 16 DPWH personnel in Bulacan over flood control mess</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>LOST BUDGET SPARKS PUBLIC OUTRAGE</strong></div><p>The Department of Finance has estimated the Philippine economy lost up to P118.5 billion from 2023 to 2025 due to corruption in flood control projects.</p><p>Greenpeace has suggested the number is actually closer to $18 billion.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/9/18/brice-hernandez-says-dpwh-engineers-shared-profits-from-ghost-projects-1325">Brice Hernandez says DPWH engineers &#x27;shared&#x27; profits from ghost projects</a></div><p>The scandal has seen numerous lawmakers implicated and the leaders of both houses of Congress step down from their positions during an investigation.</p><p><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/21/thousands-take-to-streets-as-filipinos-protest-flood-control-fraud-2307">Thousands of Filipinos rallied in Manila </a>on Sunday to vent their anger over a ballooning scandal involving bogus flood-control projects believed to have cost taxpayers billions of pesos.</p><p>But street battles, which saw multiple police vehicles set ablaze and the windows of a precinct headquarters shattered, threatened to overshadow demonstrations that had been filled with families, activists, clergy and politicians.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/22/93-police-officers-injured-113-protesters-arrested-in-violent-september-21-demonstration-0843">95 cops injured, 216 protesters arrested in anti-corruption protest clashes</a></div><p>Rage over the so-called ghost infrastructure projects has been mounting in the Southeast Asian country since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. put them center stage in his State of the Nation Address that followed weeks of deadly flooding in July.</p><p>The Philippines was expecting heavy flooding on Monday as <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/weather-traffic/2025/9/22/super-typhoon-nando-approaches-babuyan-islands-life-threatening-conditions-imminent-1119">super typhoon Nando</a> bore down on the country&#x27;s northernmost provinces.</p><p>The archipelago nation is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, putting millions of people in disaster-prone areas in a state of constant poverty.</p><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div><div><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/50-AEaxY5Fo" title="FULL: Isko may warning sa &#x27;mga asal ulol&#x27; na nag-riot sa Maynila | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XwREoppmwcQ" title="Bagsik ng super typhoon Nando, ramdam na sa Batanes, Cagayan at Isabela | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div>

<p>The Independent Commission for Infrastructure on Monday condemned reports of DPWH personnel’s “widespread destruction and tampering” of official documents related to anomalous flood control projects.</p>

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure on Monday condemned reports of DPWH personnel’s “widespread destruction and tampering” of official documents related to anomalous flood control projects.

ICI condemns reported ‘destruction, tampering’ of flood control documents

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ICI condemns reported ‘destruction, tampering’ of flood control documents

Jamaine Punzalan,

Andrea Taguines,

ABS-CBN News,

Agence France-Presse

Published Sep 22, 2025 03:21 PM PHT

|

Updated Sep 22, 2025 07:58 PM PHT

Read More:

DPWH

corruption

flood control

baha

ICI

independent flood control probe

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