The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has established its own Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Committee as the agency faces scrutiny over alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
Through Department Order No. 166, signed on August 28, 2025, the DPWH authorized the newly formed body to probe complaints of corruption involving its officials and employees. “The Committee is hereby granted the authority to… investigate graft and corrupt practices allegedly perpetrated by officials and/or employees of the Department,” the directive stated.
The committee has been empowered to issue subpoenas, conduct inspections of project sites, review records from DPWH offices, and coordinate with other government agencies to build cases. It is also tasked with drafting internal rules in line with Civil Service Commission guidelines and forming technical working groups when necessary.
DPWH Special Order No. 142 also named its members: Undersecretary Eric Ayapana as chairperson, Assistant Secretary Medmier Malig as vice chairperson, along with Assistant Secretary Michael Villafranca, Directors Gliricidia Tumaliuan, Reynaldo Faustino, Randy del Rosario, and Assistant Director Melrose Pailma as members.
The move comes in the wake of serious allegations, including so-called “ghost projects” in Bulacan and the arrest of a district engineering office chief in Batangas accused of attempting to bribe a lawmaker to halt an investigation into questionable infrastructure works.
The crackdown on corruption within flood control initiatives follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call during his fourth State of the Nation Address last July, after successive storms and the southwest monsoon left many communities devastated by severe flooding.
