(UPDATE) THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday revealed that at least seven to eight of the top 15 contractors handling government flood control projects share the same executives, raising suspicions of bid rigging.
NBI Director Jaime Santiago said the bureau is probing corruption in flood control projects, including those personally inspected by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“We have already coordinated with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Initial findings showed that some of these contractors, at least seven or eight of them, have interlocking directors,” Santiago told reporters. “They have the same sets of officers, so we really saw signs of rigging in the bidding process.”
Santiago declined to identify the contractors but said the information will be turned over to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for case buildup. The probe is focused on flood control projects in Bulacan and Mindoro, where anomalies allegedly involved Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials and contractors.
“Our work turned out positive for the people who are very angry about corruption. We now have strong cases against personalities involved,” Santiago added.
At the same briefing, Santiago announced that Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla had formed a multiagency Public Works Corruption and Bid Rigging Task Force to investigate and recover ill-gotten wealth from DPWH officials and contractors.
The task force, which includes prosecutors, certified public accountants, engineers and NBI agents, will also pool resources from the National Prosecution Service, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Philippine National Police.
“The collaboration is essential to enable the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to account for this money,” Santiago said. “We can recover the money that was stolen. We will go after them.”
