Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has relieved two top officials of the Pampanga Third Engineering Office from their posts following the death of a 25-year old man, who fell into a flooded open manhole in Angeles City on August 28, 2026.
Pampanga 3rd District Engineer Officer-In-Charge Aser S. Mallari and Officer-In-Charge Assistant District Engineer Augustin R. Dagsaan, Jr. were relieved for failure to implement road safety measures in one of the agency's projects along Fil-Am Friendship Highway in Barangay Cutcut of said city.
A CCTV footage, which circulated on social media, showed the man walking along the said highway before he fell into the drainage.
Residents responded but failed to rescue the man.
Cris Cadiang, a composer and a former Catholic priest, meanwhile urged officials of the DPWH and city government to inspect their projects.
Cadiang said he spotted open manholes in several villages, including Barangay Margot.
He described these open drainage systems as "very dangerous and risky." (With reports from RGN)
