Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson is seeking two more members of the blue ribbon committee that would sign the controversial partial report on the flood control corruption so the chamber can push for reforms to “dismantle” its “very anatomy.” Reporting on the partial committee report on Tuesday on the floor, Lacson acknowledged that only...
Tag: DPWH
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Bonoan’s ‘bad leadership’ and other highlights of the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing
The resumption on Monday of the Senate blue ribbon committee’s inquiry into the corruption scandal was marked by disclosures and denials, including Manuel Bonoan’s claim that he was unaware of and did not benefit from multibillion-peso “allocables” or kickbacks during his three-year watch as head of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Senators...
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No big fish? Confidence eroding in government inquiry into corruption scandal
With no apparent result in the Palace’s promise to jail ranking officials “before Christmas,” one more lawmaker has expressed loss of confidence in the government’s sincerity in unraveling the corruption scandal involving the multibillion-peso plunder of taxpayer money. “I no longer believe that the government is sincere in uncovering the truth behind the flood control...
An unfinished flood control project in Tagbac, Jaro District in Iloilo City —PHOTO BY ARNOLD ALMACEN
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On the cusp of 2026, where are we at in the corruption scandal?
Catalina Cabral died under mysterious circumstances on Dec. 18 and Rossana Fajardo has quit the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) effective today, Dec. 30. Where are we at in the inquiry into the corruption scandal involving the institutionalized looting of public coffers? Christmas has come and gone and the new year approaches on winged feet,...
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Probe of ex-public works official Catalina Cabral’s mysterious death continues
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article includes mention of suicide. Those in distress may call the phone numbers listed at the end of the report. BAGUIO CITY—The mysterious death of former public works undersecretary Catalina Cabral has prompted growing concern over the handling of evidence by police and the transparency of the investigation. Cabral was discovered unconscious...
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Ex-DPWH official Cabral dead just as bicam produces ‘corruption-free’ budget
On the day Congress came one step away from approving the proposed “corruption-free” ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026, a former official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) being investigated in connection with the anomalous multibillion-peso flood control projects fell to her death from Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet. The body of former...
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Budget reform advocates urge the bicam: Abolish unprogrammed appropriations
With the first-ever open bicameral conference (bicam) set to start on Dec. 13 to reconcile the Senate and House versions of the proposed ₱6.7-trillion national budget for 2026, reform advocates have one distinctive call: for the bicam members to abolish unprogrammed appropriations (UA) in the budget measure that have been the source of “insertions” and...
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‘Intense, stressful ICI work’ and family security concerns force Singson to resign
Rogelio “Babes” Singson has resigned as commissioner of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) barely three months after his appointment, making him the second high-profile official to leave the panel amid mounting concerns about its mandate and power to look into the corruption scandal centered on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). ICI...
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Prayer rally in Naga calls for justice and accountability in flood control mess
NAGA CITY—John Oliver Mimay, 32, and 13 others travelled for five hours from the town of Irosin in Sorsogon to this city to join a prayer rally against the widespread corruption involving politicians in infrastructure projects undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways and private contractors. The group composed of volunteers from the...
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‘Allocable’ funds are the new pork barrel
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) builds bridges that connect people, streetlights that make roads safer, and classrooms that serve schoolchildren. In the agency’s words, it is their mission to bring about “a comfortable life for Filipinos through safe, reliable and resilient infrastructure.” But recent congressional investigations have exposed the true nature of...