DPWH suspends foreign trips of officials amid flood control probe

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways has suspended all personal foreign travel of its personnel until the end of November as the agency continues to get to the bottom of its flood control projects flagged in corruption probes. 

In a memorandum issued by DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan on Friday, August 29, the DPWH said applications for authority to travel abroad for personal reasons are “temporarily suspended,” except in urgent medical cases. 

The order takes effect immediately and remains in force until November 30, unless it is lifted earlier or extended.

The suspension, according to the department, is part of efforts to maintain transparency, accountability, and “public service integrity” amid an "ongoing validation of DPWH projects." 

The DPWH cited the Civil Service Commission’s Omnibus Rules on Leave, which state that vacation leave and personal travel abroad are not automatic rights and remain subject to the “exigencies of the service.”

These rules give an agency the authority to regulate foreign travel of its employees “where public interest, operational requirements, or administrative concerns warrant it," the memorandum stated.

The travel suspension comes as the DPWH faces mounting scrutiny over the extent of corruption in its flood control projects, including possible collusion between its personnel and contractors.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation Address in July directed the DPWH to submit a list of all flood control projects started or completed in the last three years and promised to make the list public for citizen scrutiny.

Earlier this month, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee launched a motu proprio investigation into the same issue. At the first hearing, DPWH officials acknowledged the possibility of "ghost" projects in Bulacan, where a single contractor — identifeid as Wawao Builders — reportedly secured P9 billion worth of contracts in areas including Calumpit, Hagonoy, and Malolos. 

Investigations into corruption in flood control projects were given a fresh impetus on August 22 following the arrest of DPWH district engineer Abelardo Calalo, who allegedly attempted to bribe Rep. Leandro Leviste (Batangas, 1st District) with P3.1 million to cease the investigation into the infrastructure projects.

Leviste revealed that the engineer explained how there are no real biddings for DPWH projects in the district, with lawmakers typically selecting contractors who provided kickbacks or "SOPs" (standard operating procedures).