Ombudsman suspends DICT Usec Almirol over alleged eGov conflicts of interest

The complaints stem from a June 2025 report by the DICT Internal Audit Unit, which flagged possible conflicts of interest involving the hiring of former Multisys personnel as well as the awarding of contracts to other related companies

MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the preventive suspension of Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary for e-Government David Almirol Jr. for alleged conflicts of interest involving government contracts worth approximately P1.55 billion.

The Ombudsman said on Wednesday, October 21, that it “found sufficient grounds to place Almirol under preventive suspension for six months without pay pending the resolution of administrative complaints of Grave Misconduct, Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service, and violation of Republic Act No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.”

A preventive suspension is a cautionary measure undertaken to help ensure impartial and unimpeded investigation proceedings.

In this case, the complaints stem from a June 2025 report by the DICT Internal Audit Unit, which flagged possible conflicts of interest involving the hiring of former Multisys personnel as well as the awarding of contracts to other related companies.

Rappler reported on this issue in December 2025, citing the internal audit report of the DICT dated June 5, 2025, and our own review of Multisys’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings.

“It is a known fact that Undersecretary David Almirol is the founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Multisys Technologies Corporation, a privately held software engineering and digital solutions firm,” the audit report said.

The audit report also said “a conflict of interest may arise” in the following circumstances: in hiring ex-Multisys personnel and in awarding contracts to ePLDT.

According to the Ombudsman, the investigation revealed “at least 8 DICT contracts were awarded to companies with financial relationships with Multisys,” which totaled about P1.55 billion and ranged from ICT consultancies, e-government application deployment, web-based messaging services, cloud infrastructure, and data center colocation to software subscriptions.

Multisys’ audited financial statements showed revenues from the related companies “for managed services of P110.8 million in 2023 and P514.6 million in 2024.”

At the time of Rappler’s report, Almirol disputed the audit’s findings, claiming other service providers of equal or similar size such as Globe and Converge had also received contracts comparable to PLDT’s.

Conflicting SEC filings also pointed to Almirol not divesting from his Multisys business interests immediately or within the 60-day period from assuming office following his appointment to the DICT.

“Multisys’ General Information Sheet (GIS) notarized on 27 October 2022 and received by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on 2 November 2022 showed that respondent was still listed as a stockholder of Multisys holding 49.21% of the stocks,” the order said. 

The Ombudsman, in its preventive suspension order, noted that Almirol’s continued stay in office “could prejudice the investigation, particularly given his control and custody of documents and evidence relevant to the case.”

The Ombudsman’s order is immediately executory. The suspension will stay in effect until the administrative adjudication is completed. – Rappler.com

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