- DPWH Sec. Dizon helps arrest 2 bogus Central Office execs
TWO WOMEN impersonating high-ranking Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Central Office executives were arrested in a sting operation inside the agency’s regional headquarters on the direct intervention of Secretary Vivencio D. Dizon.
Joint operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group XI and the Sta. Ana Police Station arrested Chel and Cham inside the DPWH XI building along Ramon Magsaysay Avenue.
They now face criminal charges for Usurpation of Authority (Article 177) and Falsification and Use of Falsified Documents (Article 172) under the Revised Penal Code after claiming to be making a “confidential disaster audit.”
The investigation revealed that the duo walked into the Safety and Disaster Management Coordination Unit (SMDCU) claiming they were sent from Manila to conduct a surprise inspection of infrastructure damage caused by the Magnitude 7.8 Sarangani earthquake on June 8.
While inside, Chel allegedly flaunted her supposed “higher authority,” claiming she could fast-track the immediate release of massive DPWH central funds, including allocations earmarked for local government unit projects.
Red flags were raised when regional staff noticed anomalies and sought immediate clarification from higher management.
Alerted to the ongoing misrepresentation, Dizon, through Undersecretary Charles T. Calima, immediately sent an urgent request for police assistance to the CIDG, triggering the sting operation.
A subsequent official verification certificate issued by the DPWH Central Office confirmed that neither Chel nor Cham has ever been employed by the department.
Furthermore, the IDs they presented—bearing suspiciously sequential employee numbers—failed to match official government design templates.
Aside from the counterfeit DPWH credentials, police confiscated three cellular phones, an 8GB flash drive, a black spy camera, and a sophisticated 24-page falsified dossier titled “DPWH Situational Report on Major Roads and Bridges Due to Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake.”
PLTCOL Ariel T. Huesca, acting regional chief of CIDG XI, lauded the swift coordination between the DPWH and local intelligence units, noting that the timely arrests prevented a massive breach of government data and potential financial fraud targeting local municipalities.
The CIDG XI took custody of the suspects and the seized items for formal processing and presentation before the court.
