TWO Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan officials who were removed from their posts amid investigation on anomalous flood control projects have lost around P300 million each in casino gambling, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said.
In a statement on Monday, September 1, 2025, Lacson said the two officials used aliases to hide their true identities.
“So you can just imagine the enormity of the corruption that is going on. This is only in Bulacan,” said Lacson.
He said one is a district engineer and another is a minor functionary.
Lacson noted a memorandum circular issued in 2016 that explicitly prohibits government officials from gambling in casinos.
He said Article 178 of the Revised Penal Code criminalizes the public use of a fictitious name to conceal a crime.
Also, Republic Act 6713, the Code of Conduct for government officials, provides up to five years' imprisonment and a fine of up to P5,000, and possible perpetual disqualification from government service.
Lacson said he will relay the information to new DPWH secretary, Vince Dizon.
During the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing earlier the day, former Bulacan First District engineer Henry Alcantara admitted playing in casinos along with his former assistant district engineer, Brice Hernandez.
Alcantara said they go to casinos twice to thrice a month.
“Balita ko rin naman po eh kayo naman eh hindi masyado tumataya, hanggang P30,000 to P50,000 lang, pero itong isang inyong sumunod sa inyo medyo mas malaki-laki,” Senator JV Ejercito said.
(From what I heard, you don’t really bet that much, only around P30,000 to P50,000, but this person who followed after you bets a bit bigger.)
Alcanatara said he is not aware how much Hernandez bets each casino visit.
Lacson earlier linked Alcantara to the anomalous and ghost flood control projects in the first district of Bulacan.
He also noted syndicate-like activities of DPWH officials, like those in the Bulacan first engineering district, including the "borrowing" of contractors' licenses to implement projects.
He said based on information that reached him, Hernandez and company resorted to forging the signatures of the inspection team.
“So there was no inspection but there are the signatures of officials who were paid. So this is how bad and greedy they have gotten. Instead of a substandard project, they did not implement it at all just so the entire budget for the project will go to their casino gambling,” he said in Filipino.
In the same hearing, Commission on Audit (COA) auditor Tracy Anne Sunico said the agency is eyeing the filing of charges against those involved in the anomalous flood control projects within the month.
“Doon po sa case po kasi ng Bulacan, Your Honor, marami pong hindi na-submit na disbursement vouchers (In the case of Bulacan, Your Honor, many disbursement vouchers were not submitted),” Sunico said.
“Kaya nga po dahil hindi po sila nakapag-submit, nag-isyu na po ang audit teams ng notices of disallowance (That is why, since they failed to submit, the audit teams have already issued notices of disallowance),” she added.
COA chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba issued a memorandum order on August 25, for the conduct of a performance audit on the flood control projects of the government amid reports of ghosts and substandard projects.
This covers all ongoing and completed flood control projects in Bulacan from January 1, 2022, to July 31, 2025, prioritizing the highest valued projects.
On August 20, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself confirmed an over P55 million worth of ghost project in Baliuag, Bulacan.
In a document provided by the Department of Public Works and Highways, the construction firm that bagged the project, which cost a total of P55,730,911.60, was Syms Construction Trading.
The actual start date indicated was February 2, 2025 and the contract expiry date was October 22, 2025.
Marcos said as of June 2025, based on a report, the project was completed and fully paid but he found nothing during the inspection. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)