Villar creates a working group to investigate alleged corruption within the DPWH

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 20) – Public Works Secretary Mark Villar has created a task force to investigate alleged rampant corruption at the agency, days after President Rodrigo Duterte’s repeated tirades.

Villar issued a departmental order Monday that forms a Working Group against Bribery and Corruption (TAG), made up of five officials to investigate fellow executives and employees within the Department of Public Works and Highways.

“The TAG will investigate the anomalies allegedly perpetrated by officials and / or employees of the department, based on valid complaints,” Villar said.

The president again embarrassed DPWH for rampant corruption at the agency in his public address last night, similar to his spiel a week ago. However, he personally cleared Villar of any wrongdoing, saying that the billionaire official was rich enough not to resort to corruption.

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Duterte previously claimed that no DPWH project begins without an illegal transaction, as it implicated the project’s engineers and those responsible for the right-of-way agreements.

The cabinet official said the task force will also “drive the efficiency and effectiveness” of DPWH in providing quality infrastructure as it is one of the leading agencies implementing the “Build, Build, Build” program.

The task force is chaired by Under Secretary Mel John Verzosa, who heads the agency’s Legal Services and Special Affairs unit.

The Director of the Internal Audit Service Gliricidia Tumaliuan-Ali will act as Vice President. Other members of the working group are the Director of Human Resources and Administrative Services Michael Villafranca, the Director in Charge of the Stakeholder Relations Service Andro Santiago and the lawyer Ken Edward Sta. Rita, who is the OIC of the procurement division of goods and services of the agency.

The task force is directed to follow due process in its investigation and is expected to recommend appropriate actions regarding officials and employees who made mistakes and were found to have engaged in illegal acts.

The body is also authorized to form a technical working group that will act as its secretariat.

Some lawmakers have also questioned provisions of the DPWH’s $ 667 billion budget next year, including uneven provisions for districts, lump sum funds and repeat projects from the 2020 spending plan.

READ: Villar denies lump sums in DPWH’s 2021 budget