DISMISSED engineer Brice Hernandez bared on Thursday, September 18, 2025, the profit sharing among officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Bulacan First District for ghost flood control projects.
During the resumption of the Senate investigation on anomalous flood control projects, Hernandez testified that dismissed Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara received the largest share of the profit at 40 percent, while he and engineers Jaypee Mendoza and Paul Duya each received 20 percent.
“Yung project[s] na ‘yun, meron po kaming sharing na pag kumita po… si Boss Henry po meron 40 percent, ako po may 20 percent, si engineer Jaypee meron po 20 percent at si engineer Paul Duya meron din pong 20 percent,” said Hernandez.
(For those projects, we had a profit-sharing arrangement… Boss Henry got 40 percent, I got 20 percent, Engineer Jaypee got 20 percent, and Engineer Paul Duya also got 20 percent.)
“’Yung sharing po kung magkano po lahat, parang meron pong percentage kung magkano po ang naging kita, ito po ang hatian,” he added.
(In the sharing, whatever the total earnings were, there was a percentage division — this was how it was split.)
Before this, Senator JV Ejercito questioned Syms Construction Trading owner and manager Sally Santos about her earlier statement for the delivery of P245 millions worth of cash to Hernandez’s office.
She said she could have delivered up to P1 billion to Hernandez's office from 2022 to the present.
Santos said just last March 24, 2025, she delivered P457 million to Hernandez, P141 million on May 6, and P65 million on May 23.
Syms Construction Trading was behind the P55-million ghost project inspected by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Barangay Piel, Baliuag, Bulacan.
Santos also admitted involvement in borrowing and/or renting out their contractors' licenses, including to DPWH officials like Hernandez.
For every license rent transaction, they are being paid three percent royalty fee.
Ejercito said the contractors’ license is being rented out for “in house contracting” or ghost projects.
“In house contracting, ibig sabihin nito papeles lamang, walang tunay na proyektong naisagawa pero parang pinalabas meron, hinihiram ang lisensya,” he said.
(In-house contracting means it’s only on paper — no actual project was carried out, but it was made to appear as if there was one, with the license being borrowed.)
“Actually, Your Honor, hindi ko alam na gagawin nila Engineer Brice at Jaypee Mendoza po 'yun kasi syempre (gagamitin ang lisensya sa ghost project), sila ay tauhan ng DPWH. Naniniwala ako na hindi nila gagawin 'yun. 'Yung lisensya ko po, sapilitan na nilang hiniram sa akin,” Santos responded.
(Actually, Your Honor, I didn’t know that Engineer Brice and Jaypee Mendoza would do that because, of course, they are personnel of the DPWH. I believed they wouldn’t do such a thing. My license, however, was forcibly taken and used by them.)
Hernandez said they resorted to implementing ghost projects due to the increase of “grease money.”
“Isa na rin pong kasagutan ‘yung tumaas ang tara, sa proponent daw napupunta sabi ni boss (Henry). Wala po akong pakikipag-usap sa proponent,” he said.
(Another explanation is that the increased ‘tara’ supposedly goes to the proponent, according to Boss Henry. I have no dealings with the proponent.)
Hernandez also explained that the funds delivered to him by Santos were for Alcantara.
“Ang alam ko collection yan sa project. Hindi naman po para sa akin yan, kinuha po ni boss Henry. Inutos po sa akin na i-follow up sa kanya ang collection,” he said.
(What I know is that it was a collection from the project. That wasn’t for me — Boss Henry took it. I was only instructed to follow up the collection with him.)
Alcantara, for his part, repeatedly denied involvement in ghost projects in his area of jurisdiction.
“Hindi ko po alam sa kanya. Every time may itatanong sa kanya, ang turo ay sa akin maliwanag naman po dito na sinasabi ng mga contractor na sila po ang kausap niya,” he said.
(I don’t know about him. Every time he’s asked something, he points to me — but it’s clear here that the contractors said he was the one they dealt with.)
Alcantara maintained that he only relied on the report of his men on the ground in approving the completion of a project.
Alcantara earlier said it was only recently that he learned about the ghost projects in Bulacan first district.
“Your Honor, kami naman po pag lumalabas po sa GAA, ini-implement lang po namin 'yung project. Actually po ‘yung sinasabi ko po sa ghost project, talaga po wala akong alam diyan,” he added.
(Your Honor, when projects come out in the GAA, we just implement them. As for the so-called ghost project, I honestly have no knowledge about that.)
Alcantara was cited in contempt for insisting he is not involved in any ghost project in the province.
“Your Honor, kami naman po pag lumalabas po sa GAA, ini-implement lang po namin 'yung project. Actually po ‘yung sinasabi ko po sa ghost project, talaga po wala akong alam diyan,” Senator Erwin Tulfo said.
(Your Honor, when projects are released under the GAA, we just implement them. Regarding the ghost project being mentioned, I truly have no knowledge about it.)
On Monday, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed the discovery of at least three ghost flood control projects in Bulacan worth nearly P300 million.
Remulla said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) validated the existence of the ghost projects using coordinates submitted through the Isumbong Mo Kay Pangulo website, an online platform that allows citizens to report irregularities in government projects.
He said they are preparing the charges to be filed against those involved in the non-existent projects. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)