MANILA — Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon filed corruption complaints against 20 officials of the DPWH Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office and four contractors before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with alleged irregularities in flood control projects in the province.

The cases, filed less than two weeks after Dizon assumed office, include violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, malversation of public funds, falsification of documents, and procurement law violations.

“This is what the President has been saying since his SONA. Everyone must be held accountable, regardless of whether they are friends or allies. This is only the beginning, even before the Independent Commission is formed,” Dizon said.

Among those charged were former District Engineer Henry C. Alcantara, former Assistant District Engineer Brice Ericson D. Hernandez, and several section chiefs, project engineers, and finance officers. Contractors charged included executives of SYMS Construction Trading, Wawao Builders, St. Timothy Construction Corporation, and IM Construction Corporation.

Dizon said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had ordered the DPWH to speed up its crackdown on erring officials, citing the need to give justice to the public affected by defective or anomalous flood control projects.

He also urged the public to help identify more questionable projects and report corrupt DPWH officials.

“This is just the start of more cases to come. Within 10 days, the President told us to act fast—and we are doing so. We need the people’s help to track down more of these anomalies,” Dizon said.