DPWH engineer admits marking P55-M Bulacan ‘ghost’ project as completed
A suspended engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) admitted before lawmakers on Tuesday that he had signed a completion certificate for a P55-million flood control project in his area in Bulacan province without personally inspecting the site.
The project, as confirmed by President Marcos himself when he went to the area last month, turned out to be nonexistent.
During the first hearing of the House inquiry into anomalous flood control projects, former Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara said he sometimes signed project documents on the assumption that his subordinates had already performed due diligence.
This was after Manila Rep. Joel Chua confronted Alcantara with documents showing he had signed off on several projects, including a P55-million river wall project in Barangay Piel in Baliuag town, where the contract went to SYMS Construction Trading.
“This is not a small thing, because once he (Alcantara) certifies, that is the basis for releasing the funds to pay (the contractor),” Chua said.
Marcos inspection
President Marcos went to the site on Aug. 20 and learned that the project—for which the government had already paid in two tranches (P43.4 million and P5.9 million) to SYMS—existed only on paper.
A “very angry’’ President then said he was considering having the responsible parties charged with economic sabotage.
Chua also noted that another substandard project inspected by the President—a P94.6-million river protection structure in Bulusan, Calumpit, awarded to St. Timothy Construction Co.—was also approved by Alcantara.
The same with a flood mitigation structure in Calumpit worth P74.6 million, which had Wawao Builders as contractor.
St. Timothy Construction is one of the nine companies owned by couple Pacifico “Curlee” and Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya.
Along with Wawao Builders, it is one of the top 15 contractors identified by Mr. Marcos that have cornered the bulk of flood control contracts since 2022.
Alcantara’s excuse
“How could this happen when all these appear to be ghost projects?” Chua asked the DPWH engineer. “Do you not personally review the projects?”
“Your Honor, no,” Alcantara replied, saying the same projects had already been issued “certifications’’ by the project engineer and the concerned section chief before their papers reached his desk.
Alcantara first tried to give an excuse, saying there were “too many documents that go through my office every day. I do inspections, but not every single one.”
He later admitted being “negligent” and ultimately responsible for the ghost projects.
He also confirmed that it was his DPWH district office that proposed the projects’ inclusion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Before his resignation on Sunday, then Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan ordered Alcantara suspended pending an investigation into the projects in his district.
Prior to being posted in Bulacan, Alcantara said, he started out at the DPWH as “job order employee.’’ He became the district engineer in the province in 2019.
At the time he was suspended, Alcantara was no longer posted in Bulacan but was serving as officer in charge at the Office of the Assistant Regional Director for DPWH Calabarzon.
Early disagreement
Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, in an interview later with reporters, said “we reject (Alcantara’s) defense. We cannot have plunder (as a case) if you’re just negligent. What I’m stating is… he knew it. He intended to ‘ghost’ it.”
The first hearing of the so-called House tri-comm on the flood projects got off on a discordant note.
During the first three hours, the committee members argued over the propriety of holding the inquiry in the first place since some congressmen were believed to be involved in anomalous government contracts themselves.
They agreed to proceed after Ridon, the lead committee chair, approved a motion from Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno directing members to disclose within five days their financial and business interests that could affect the direction of the investigation.
Those who would make such disclosures would be asked to inhibit themselves from the hearings, Ridon said.
Explaining his motion, Diokno said the House needed to “assure the public that this investigation will not be a whitewash and that no members of the three committees conducting this investigation have a conflict of interest.”
Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong earlier alleged that there are at least 67 lawmakers who have connections with flood control project contractors.
Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima and Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice seconded Diokno’s motion.
Poe, Co appearance sought
Another point of contention that emerged early in the hearing was on whether the panels should invite former Sen. Grace Poe and former AKO Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co as resource persons.
Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco and Davao Rep. Isidro Ungab insisted on Poe and Co’s appearance, saying they should explain how the draft 2025 budget was amended in the bicameral conference and ended up getting what Ungab described as an “inflated” allocation for flood control projects.
Poe then chaired the Senate finance committee while Co headed the House appropriations panel.
But Ridon said discussions about budget insertions may be held later and that the focus for now should be on the flood control projects, starting with those in Bulacan.
