By Rjay Zuriaga Castor and Francis Allan L. Angelo
A graft and corruption complaint has been filed against officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways Region 6 (DPWH-6) and the International Builders Corp. (IBC) over alleged irregularities in multibillion-peso infrastructure projects.
The complaint, filed by watchdog group Crimes and Corruption Watch International Inc. (CCWI) before the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday, May 21, accuses DPWH-6 officials of favoring IBC in awarding contracts for public works projects in 2024.
Named in the complaint are DPWH-6 Director Sonny Boy Oropel, several district engineers, members of the regional Bids and Awards Committee, and IBC President Helen Edith Lee Tan.
The complaint cites alleged violations of Republic Act (RA) 12009, the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (RA 6713), and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019).
Carlo Magno Batalla, CCWI founding chairman, said their investigation revealed that DPWH-6 awarded PHP9.25 billion in contracts in 2024, with more than PHP2.4 billion going to IBC.
Batalla noted that under government regulations, a 15% negative slippage in a project’s critical path qualifies as poor performance.
He alleged that IBC repeatedly exceeded this threshold yet continued to receive new contracts from DPWH-6 without penalty.
“IBC has a lot of delayed projects, but they were still given several projects, which is a violation of the law,” Batalla said.
“When a contractor performs poorly, they should no longer be eligible for future contracts, especially when their performance is consistently negative,” he added.
Batalla also questioned whether IBC was overextending its capacity, possibly assigning the same equipment and personnel across multiple projects.
“If IBC had 100 simultaneous projects, and usually, one infrastructure project requires five engineers, then with 100 projects, they should have 500 engineers,” he said.
“It’s as if they’ve built their own university of engineering just to have 500 engineers working all at once.”
Batalla added that CCWI is also preparing a plunder case against the same respondents over allegedly irregular contracts awarded in 2025.
In 2023, Batalla filed a graft complaint against DPWH-6 officials, including former regional director Nerie Bueno, over the controversial Ungka flyover project, which was also handled by IBC.
The nearly PHP1 billion Ungka flyover opened in June 2022 but was soon closed due to issues such as sinking and flooding during rains.
Despite these defects, IBC was awarded the repair contracts in 2024, with DPWH-6 stating the firm was still the most qualified contractor as the problems were attributed to design flaws.
IBC is also the contractor of the long-delayed Aganan flyover project, which continues to face setbacks due to soil stability concerns.
WHO IS CARLO MAGNO BATALLA?
But who is Carlo Magno Batalla, the Bicolano founder of Crimes and Corruption Watch International (CCWI) behind the recent complaints?
Based on research by Daily Guardian, Batalla previously filed cases against several officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), accusing them of misconduct and procurement violations in connection with alleged anomalous transactions that he claimed undermined the central bank’s integrity.
Batalla has also pursued cases in his home province of Camarines Sur.
In 2021, CCWI filed complaints against former Governor Miguel Luis Villafuerte and several provincial officials over alleged irregularities in infrastructure projects and the misuse of public funds.
The complaints highlighted concerns about transparency and accountability in local governance.
Batalla also questioned the swift suspension of National Irrigation Administration (NIA) chief Benny Antiporda, calling the move “irregular” and urging Congress to launch an investigation.
Beyond his work with CCWI, Batalla is involved in a community initiative called “Batalla Cares,” which provides social welfare assistance such as wheelchairs for persons with disabilities.
He is also reportedly a Ph.D. holder and is known for his outspoken views on governance and public accountability.
Based on his recent Facebook posts, Batalla appears to be close to former senator now Makati City mayor-elect Nancy Binay.
He also shared on his social media account a message from contractor Sarah Discaya, who lost miserably to Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto in the May 12 elections.
