The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), is significantly escalating its efforts to recover public funds stolen through irregularities in infrastructure projects, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon announced today.
This move signals a determined, ongoing campaign not only to prosecute but also to ensure the full restitution of ill-gotten wealth to the national treasury.
The intensified crackdown is in direct response to President Marcos Jr.’s firm directive for the immediate and full return of funds misappropriated from critical projects, including flood control initiatives. The President has clearly mandated that former officials of the DPWH, implicated contractors, and all other individuals involved in these anomalies must be held accountable and face imprisonment.
“First of all, you know that the legacy of our President is that not only should those who are responsible for stealing all of our money be imprisoned,” stated Secretary Dizon. “But the money of our countrymen must also be returned. And this is the beginning. This is the beginning.
As a concrete step in this recovery drive, the government has successfully confiscated substantial assets. Secretary Dizon recently inspected seven of the 30 vehicles seized from the contractor couple, Curlee and Sara Discaya, who are implicated in the scheme.
The DPWH chief estimates that the public auction of the Discaya vehicles alone is expected to generate more than P100 million for the government’s coffers.
Secretary Dizon assured the public that this initial recovery is just the start. He emphasized that the government is guaranteed to return many more stolen resources to the people’s treasury in the coming days and months.
The Secretary further confirmed that the government is moving swiftly to ensure justice is served. Arrest warrants are expected to be issued soon against those involved in the widespread anomaly. “It is a very important symbol and beginning that our President said that we cannot let this happen, that the money of our countrymen cannot be returned,” Secretary Dizon added.
The DPWH, in collaboration with other relevant agencies, is committed to relentlessly pursuing every stolen property and asset to maximize the amount returned to the public fund. This effort underscores the administration’s unwavering commitment to stamping out corruption and ensuring that public funds are used solely for their intended purpose: serving the Filipino people.
