NBI Probe Targets P9.5-B SEA Games Infrastructure — Will Dizon Be Included?

NBI Probe Targets P9.5-Billion SEA Games Infrastructure — Will Dizon Be Included?

MANILA, Philippines — Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, currently on leave, may soon find himself at the center of the National Bureau of Investigation's widening probe into the multibillion-peso infrastructure projects built for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. The investigation, announced by NBI Director Melvin Matibag, threatens to reopen one of the most controversial chapters in recent Philippine public procurement history — and the political fallout is already being felt from Malacañang to the Senate.

The NBI's task force, composed of its financial investigation and special action units, is now poring over documents related to the New Clark City Sports Complex in Tarlac. The sprawling facility, built under Dizon's tenure as president and CEO of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority from 2016 to 2021, has been dogged by questions over how its contracts were awarded and whether the Filipino people got value for their money.

The Man at the Center: Vince Dizon's Rise and Fall

Vivencio "Vince" Dizon was a key figure in the Duterte administration's infrastructure push before transitioning into the Marcos Cabinet. Appointed transportation secretary in February 2025 and later taking the helm at the Department of Public Works and Highways last August, Dizon's career trajectory was built on his leadership at the BCDA, where he oversaw the rapid transformation of New Clark City Phase 1A into the centerpiece venue for the 2019 SEA Games.

His appointment to the BCDA top post has been traced back to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, former president Rodrigo Duterte's running mate in the 2016 elections. Dizon had served as a consultant and political officer for then-Senate Majority Leader Cayetano from 2013 to 2016 — a connection that now hangs heavy over the investigation, particularly with the Cayetano siblings already alleging the probe is politically motivated.

Dizon has reportedly been on a leave of absence for the past two weeks, remaining unavailable for comment as the NBI builds its case. The STAR has reached out to Assistant Secretary Michelle de Vera about the nature and length of his leave, but has yet to receive a reply.

The P9.5-Billion Question: How Did the Deal Work?

At the heart of the controversy is a complex joint venture agreement between the BCDA and Malaysian developer MTD Capital Berhad. The complaint, filed by Diego Magpantay of the Citizens Crime Watch Association Inc., alleges that the BCDA unlawfully embedded a build-transfer scheme inside a P4.18-billion joint venture agreement to bypass public bidding requirements.

What materialized from that arrangement was far more expensive than initially projected. The BCDA ended up paying MTD Capital Berhad a staggering P9.5 billion in cash — including P8.5 billion for construction costs and over P579 million in one-year financing costs. Reports also indicate that the Malaysian firm secured a P9.5-billion loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines to fund the project, and that the entire deal was structured specifically to avoid the transparency required by public bidding laws.

NBI Director Matibag has stated that the bureau is already in possession of documents justifying the probe. "There's a huge amount of money involved here. There was no bidding conducted and the funds were unliquidated, so there are a lot of things that need to be looked into here," he told reporters.

NBI Stumbles Into the Controversy

The investigation did not begin as a targeted inquiry. Matibag revealed that the NBI "incidentally" stumbled upon the matter after the BCDA handed over 70 hectares of land in New Clark City for the NBI Academy. What started as a routine land transfer review quickly unraveled into questions about the financial arrangements behind the sports complex built on neighboring lots.

The NBI chief has since created a dedicated task force combining his bureau's financial investigation and special action units. The investigation will also coordinate with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commission on Audit, and the BCDA itself — a wide-ranging multi-agency effort that signals the seriousness of the inquiry.

Part of the probe includes examining the P10 billion given to a Malaysian company that allegedly came from a budget insertion and was never properly liquidated, according to Matibag's statements in a separate interview.

The Cayetano Factor: Intimidation or Accountability?

The political dimensions of the probe are impossible to ignore. Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who chaired the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) for the 2019 edition despite his concurrent role as foreign affairs secretary and later House speaker, immediately denounced the investigation as intimidation.

Cayetano and his sister, Sen. Pia Cayetano, pointed to timing as evidence of bad faith — the announcement came shortly after Alan Peter questioned Matibag's request to reschedule his Senate testimony so the NBI chief could attend a symposium in Bangkok. The siblings argue that the probe is a retaliatory move rather than a genuine pursuit of accountability.

But critics counter that the questions being asked are legitimate and long overdue. The original P7.5-billion budget for the SEA Games was initially tucked inside the Department of Foreign Affairs' appropriations — an agency with no mandate to fund sporting events. During Senate plenary deliberations on the 2019 budget, the funds were reduced to P5 billion and transferred to the Philippine Sports Commission, but questions about how the money was ultimately spent have never been fully answered.

Also under scrutiny is the controversial P50-billion cauldron inside the sports complex, which critics have called extravagance at public expense. Cayetano has defended the price tag as reflecting the design of the late National Artist for Architecture Francisco Mañosa.

Legal Hurdles: The OGCC's Initial Objection

One of the most telling details in the unfolding scandal involves the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel. The OGCC issued an adverse opinion in January 2018 regarding the BCDA's joint venture agreement with MTD Capital Berhad, effectively warning that the deal as structured posed legal risks to the government.

Despite this warning, then-BCDA chief Dizon pushed forward. It was only after former OGCC head Elpidio Vega conducted an October 2018 review that the agreement was cleared of legal obstacles. Critics argue this sequence suggests the deal was deliberately structured to sidestep safeguards that would have protected public funds.

Dizon has maintained that the agreement was implemented in the "most transparent" and "aboveboard" way possible. But with the NBI now in possession of documents and building a task force, those assurances are being tested against documentary evidence.

What This Means: Accountability Finally Knocks

For ordinary Filipinos, this probe represents more than just another political drama in Metro Manila. The P9.5 billion at stake is money that could have built classrooms, health centers, or farm-to-market roads in provinces that still lack basic infrastructure. It is money taken from taxpayers — from the jeepney driver in Cubao, the sari-sari store owner in Tacloban, the farmer in Isabela — and spent under terms that allegedly bypassed the transparency safeguards meant to protect their interests.

The fact that the NBI stumbled into the investigation rather than pursuing it proactively raises legitimate questions about how many similar deals have escaped scrutiny simply because no one was looking. The task force's coordination with the Commission on Audit suggests that the financial documentation may reveal patterns that extend beyond the New Clark City complex.

Whether the probe expands to include Dizon specifically remains to be seen, but the former BCDA chief's two-week leave of absence — and his unavailability for comment — does little to inspire confidence. In Philippine governance, silence during a storm is rarely a sign of clear skies ahead.

What Comes Next

The NBI task force is expected to present its initial findings within the coming weeks, with potential referrals to the Office of the Ombudsman for criminal prosecution if evidence of graft or malversation is established. The Commission on Audit's involvement means that any irregularities in the liquidation of funds will be documented with the agency's characteristic thoroughness.

For Dizon, the road ahead is uncertain. A Cabinet secretary on leave while an investigative agency probes projects he oversaw is an uncomfortable position by any measure. If the NBI's findings implicate him, the political calculus for Malacañang becomes considerably more complicated — particularly with the Marcos administration already navigating the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte and the ongoing ICC proceedings against former president Rodrigo Duterte.

For the Filipino public, the message is clear: the 2019 SEA Games, once celebrated as a moment of national pride on the sporting stage, may carry a price tag that the nation is still paying — and that some public officials may yet have to answer for. The NBI probe is a reminder that accountability, however delayed, has a way of catching up.

As the investigation unfolds, Global1.News will continue to follow every development. What we know today is that P9.5 billion of public money was spent on sports facilities, and seven years later, the questions about how that spending happened remain largely unanswered. The NBI's task force may finally provide the answers that the Filipino people deserve.

By Bella Reyes, Staff Writer