Several celebrities took to social media to share their disbelief and frustration after a fire broke out at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) headquarters in Quezon City on Wednesday, October 22, amid ongoing corruption investigations involving the agency.
The incident, which occurred at the Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS) building along EDSA-Kamuning, quickly went viral online, prompting reactions from both netizens and public figures.
Kapamilya singer Darren Espanto was among the first to react on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Ay wow… biglang nasunog.”
His ‘It’s Showtime’ co-host Anne Curtis quoted his post, echoing the sentiment: “Ay wow… paano na kaya ‘yun?”
Comedian Pokwang also shared her frustration in a sarcastic tone, posting, “Galing! Wohoo! Ang husay! Tapos na ang laban! Wala na!”
Actor Dominic Roque expressed dismay as he reposted a video of the burning DPWH building with the caption, “This is not right.”
Meanwhile, Ellen Adarna added a tongue-in-cheek comment on her Instagram Stories, saying, “Pak! The design is very Pablo Escobar.”
Their fellow ‘It’s Showtime’ host Teddy Corpuz also weighed in, tweeting, “Sunog evidence. Iwas pusoy.”
Veteran actor Edu Manzano joined in on the conversation, reviving one of his long-running memes about corruption with an AI-generated photo of himself as a DPWH engineer.
“‘Walang na-damage na dokumento,’” he quipped. “Oo nga naman. Paano masusunog ang ghost files = ghost projects?”
Online users also flooded social media with their own speculations, questioning the timing of the fire and joking about possible cover-ups: “Sinunog na ang ebidensya. Safe na safe na sila.” “Nakakapagtaka, office hours nasunog ‘yung building… tapos walang fire extinguisher?” “OKAY PO. Kwento niyo ‘yan eh.”
In a statement, the DPWH clarified that no documents related to the ongoing investigation into flood control anomalies were affected by the blaze.
“The DPWH confirms that no documents related to the ongoing investigation into the flood control anomalies were in the Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS) building that caught fire in Quezon City today,” the department said.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported that the blaze began shortly after noon and reached the third alarm before being declared under control about an hour later. The cause was determined to be a short circuit, and no injuries were reported.
DPWH added that it has deployed an investigation team to assess the damage and ensure preventive measures moving forward.
“An investigation team to assess the fire incident has been deployed and is currently conducting a thorough assessment to determine the full extent of the damage and to prevent similar incidents in the future,” the agency said.
As of this writing, the incident remains under investigation — but public skepticism continues to burn just as intensely online.
