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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Small fry, big fish in jail: Dizon bares anti-corruption formula amid uproar in flood control mess

Small fry, big fish in jail: Dizon bares anti-corruption formula amid uproar in flood control mess

Published Sep 21, 2025 03:12 pm
Thousands of protesters march towards the EDSA People Power Monument in Quezon City on Sunday, September 21, 2025 to call on the government to prosecute corrupt government officials and contractors involved in anomalous and ghost flood control projects in the country. (Santi San Juan)
Thousands of protesters march towards the EDSA People Power Monument in Quezon City on Sunday, September 21, 2025 to call on the government to prosecute corrupt government officials and contractors involved in anomalous and ghost flood control projects in the country. (Santi San Juan)
Those responsible in the massive corruption in the flood control projects—from the small fry to the big fish— must be sent to jail as one of the effective measures to prevent the repeat of anomalies in government infrastructure projects, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon said on Sunday, Sept. 21.
Dizon issued the statement amid the public outcry for truth and accountability which was marked by the twin protest actions in Manila and Quezon City which were both attended by thousands of protesters.
“The first step is to put fear of god in everybody, and the only way to do that is to hold people to account, that is the first step. If nobody would be sent to jail from top to bottom, we would just be fooling ourselves and this will just keep on happening again and again and again,” said Dizon in an interview over ABS-CBN.
“That is where the ICI comes in. They are in a position to really send a strong message not just to the people in government now but people in the government in the future that enough is enough, we will hold people to account and people will pay from top to bottom,” he stressed.
The ICI, or the Independent Commission on Infrastructure, was created by President Marcos to look into all the anomalies in government infrastructures.
Former Supreme Court Justice Andres Reyes, Jr. was named chairman, with former DPWH secretary Rogelio Singson and SGV audit firm partner, Rossana Fajardo as members. Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong was designated as special investigator.
‘Deretsahan na’
In the same interview, Dizon disclosed that five of the seven substandard flood control projects they inspected in Oriental Mindoro were awarded to and constructed by the Sunwest Corporation identified with Ako Bicol partylist Rep. Zaldy Co.
Dizon said Co is not only a congressman but used to head the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
He said the DPWH was supposed to file a case in relation to the Oriental Mindoro substandard flood control projects last week but this was superseded by the creation of the ICI.
As a result, Dizon said they just turned over the documents to the ICI.
Co is currently in the United States but newly-elected House Speaker Bojie Dy earlier revoked his travel clearance to force him to go back to the Philippines.
Systematic change
The second measure to address the problem of corruption in the DPWH, according to Dizon, is a systematic change.
“Systematic change not just in the DPWH but in all the processes which includes the budgetary process,” said Dizon.
During the hearing in both the Senate and House of Representatives, some of the resource speakers said the corruption could be traced to budget insertions, especially in unprogrammed funds.
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