DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 29 September) — Secretary Vince Dizon of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has issued separate show-cause orders to two officials in Davao Region regarding a “ghost” flood control project discovered during an inspection in Barangay Culaman, Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental, last Thursday. The orders, dated September 26 and released on Saturday, directed DPWH-Davao Regional Director Juby B. Cordon and Rodrigo C. Larete, district engineer of the DPWH Davao Occidental District Engineering Office, to submit a written explanation under oath within five days, stating why they should not be held administratively liable for the anomalous project.
On September 25, Dizon and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, special adviser for the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), inspected the P96.5 million project awarded in 2022 to St. Timothy Construction Company, owned by government contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II and his wife, Sarah. They found the project unfinished despite being declared completed and fully paid in 2022. Reports from local residents confirmed construction had only begun two to three weeks before the inspection.
Dizon warned Larete that the findings may constitute violations such as Grave Misconduct, Gross Neglect of Duty, Serious Dishonesty, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of Service under the 2025 Rules on Administrative Cases. In a video posted on DPWH’s Facebook page, Dizon criticized Larete for authorizing payment despite the incomplete work, asking, “Don’t you feel sorry for the students and the people there? Why did you pay for an incomplete project?”
At a press conference, Dizon vowed that Larete and other officials involved in approving the ghost project would “go to jail,” calling such practices unacceptable. He urged regional offices to report anomalies immediately, citing “systemic corruption from top to bottom” within the DPWH dating back to previous administrations. Dizon emphasized the nationwide scope of their anti-corruption efforts, stating, “We are focusing on the entire country, and it is not easy. Priority is the entire country.” (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
