Philippines suspends DICT Undersecretary over alleged contract conflicts
The Philippine Ombudsman has suspended DICT Undersecretary David L. Almirol for alleged grave misconduct. The investigation found that while serving as a senior government official, Almirol retained a stake in Multisys Technologies, a firm he founded. Between 2023 and 2025, the department awarded at least eight contracts worth over 1.5 billion pesos ($24 million) to Multisys-linked entities. The suspension aims to resolve conflicts of interest in the country's digital infrastructure spending.
Key points
- David L. Almirol, Undersecretary for E-Government at the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), was placed on preventive suspension by the Philippine Ombudsman.
- The Ombudsman cited strong evidence of 'Grave Misconduct' and 'Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service' following administrative complaints.
- Almirol, who joined DICT in 2022 at the request of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., previously served as CEO of Multisys Technologies Corporation for over a decade.
- Between 2023 and 2025, DICT awarded at least eight contracts valued at over 1.5 billion pesos ($24 million) to entities linked with Multisys.
- The contracts covered ICT consultancy, e-government application deployment, cloud infrastructure, data center colocation, and software subscriptions.
- The suspension serves as a preventive measure while the Ombudsman finalizes its determination on whether Almirol violated the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials.
The Philippine government has suspended a senior official in its digital strategy department over allegations of conflict of interest. The Office of the Ombudsman announced the preventive suspension of David L. Almirol, the Undersecretary for E-Government at the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). The decision follows a review of administrative complaints alleging that Almirol assigned government contracts to a company he founded while retaining a financial stake in it.
Almirol joined DICT in 2022 at the request of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to oversee improvements in e-government services. Prior to his government role, he spent more than a decade as the chief executive of Multisys Technologies Corporation, a firm providing software development and packaged products. The Ombudsman’s investigation revealed that between 2023 and 2025, the department awarded at least eight contracts to entities linked with Multisys. These agreements, valued at over 1.5 billion pesos (approximately $24 million), covered a range of digital infrastructure needs, including ICT consultancy, cloud services, data center colocation, and web-based messaging platforms.
The Ombudsman stated that strong evidence supported charges of 'Grave Misconduct' and a violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. The suspension is a preventive measure, allowing the office to complete its assessment of whether Almirol’s continued involvement in Multisys prejudiced the public interest. This development highlights ongoing scrutiny of procurement practices in the Philippines' push toward digital transformation, as the government seeks to balance private sector expertise with public accountability.
Sources
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