The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
A lawyer representing one of the contracting firms implicated in the alleged anomalous flood control projects has approached the Department of Justice (DOJ) to explore becoming a whistleblower, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla revealed Thursday.
“We welcome whistleblowers. We will meet again soon,” Remulla told reporters in a press briefing.
According to him, the lawyer disclosed details on how officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allegedly accessed project funds through the state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines to pay contractors.
“He gave me an idea of what happened in one of the projects in Central Luzon—ghost projects worth P5 billion,” Remulla said.
The lawyer reportedly alleged that contractors received up to 40 percent of project funds while certain DPWH officials were able to encash payments from Landbank, even when the funds were meant for contractors.
Remulla said the DOJ is closely monitoring developments and emphasized that should the case be elevated to the Office of the Ombudsman, it may be endorsed back to the DOJ for case build-up.