MEXICO, Pampanga – Barangay Santo Cristo Chairman Terence Napao has urged newly appointed Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon to immediately investigate flood control projects in Pampanga’s third district, many of which have been linked to former Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr.
Napao said the probe is urgent as areas in Mexico, particularly in the town’s northern portion, are now experiencing flooding despite being previously unaffected.
“Bilang kabalen, umaasa po tayo na bibigyang pansin ni Secretary Dizon ang kalagayan ng mga flood control projects dito sa ating distrito,” Napao said.
In 2023, Napao filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Gonzales, citing the awarding of contracts worth more than ₱600 million to companies allegedly tied to the lawmaker’s children. Gonzales, however, maintained that the case had already been dismissed.
Napao joined other Pampanga officials in the Concerned Citizens of Pampanga protest in San Fernando on Thursday, September 18, which called for accountability in substandard or non-existent flood control projects.
The appeal to Dizon comes days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order 94, creating a fact-finding commission to investigate irregularities in flood control projects nationwide. Protesters in Pampanga said the commission must focus on questionable projects in the province’s third district, which they claim worsened flooding instead of preventing it.