FORMER Bulacan First District assistant engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza have been dismissed from the Department of Public Works and Highways, Secretary Vince Dizon said Friday, September 12, 2025.
In a radio interview, Dizon said the dismissal process has also started for other DPWH personnel who were among those facing graft complaints filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.
He said four contractors included in the complaints have already been blacklisted.
On Thursday, Dizon personally filed complaints for violation of Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) and Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code (Malversation of Public Funds) before the Office of the Ombudsman against the following, including Hernandez and Mendoza:
DPWH officials:
Dismissed Bulacan District Engineer Henry C. Alcantara
Construction Section Chief John Michael E. Ramos
Planning and Design Section Chief Ernesto C. Galang
Maintenance Section Chief Lorenzo A. Pagtalunan and Jaime R. Hernandez
Quality Assurance Section Chief Norberto L. Santos
Administrative Section Chief Floralyn Y. Simbulan
Finance Section Juanito C. Mendoza
Budget Unit Head Roberto A. Roque
Procurement Unit Head Benedict J. Matawaran
Cashier Christina Mae D. Pineda
Project Engineers Paul Jayson F. Duya, Merg Jaron C. Laus, Lemuel Ephraim C. Roque, Arjay S. Domasig, John Carlo C. Rivera, John Benex S. Francisco and Jolo Mari V. Tayao
Contractors:
Sally N. Santos of SYMS Construction Trading
Mark Allan V. Arevalo of Wawao Builders
Ma. Roma Angeline D. Rimando of St. Timothy Construction Corporation and its beneficial owner Cezarah Rowena C. Discaya
Robert T. Imperio of IM Construction Corporation
The complaints were based on a Commission on Audit (COA) report that found irregularities in five flood projects in Bulacan.
These projects were either substandard or non-existent.
Alcantara, Hernandez, and Mendoza were earlier tagged by Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson as among the “BGC Boys,” or Bulacan Group Contractors, who were blowing millions in casino gambling.
Hernandez implicated Alcantara and Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva in a scheme to funnel public funds through flood control projects in the province.
Dizon said the agency has tapped the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to inspect alleged anomalous flood projects across the country.
“Libo-libo po talaga ang proyekto ng DPWH. At kung sa loob ng DPWH, hindi natin kakayanin yan, kaya kailangan talaga, unang-una, humingi tayo ng tulong sa PNP, sa AFP,” Dizon said.
(The DPWH really has thousands of projects. And if we only rely on the agency, we won’t be able to handle it, so we truly need, first and foremost, to seek help from the PNP and the AFP.) (TPM/SunStar Philippines)