DPWH engineer admits not inspecting Bulacan ‘ghost projects’

DISASTER. Residents of Barangay Frances, Calumpit, Bulacan wade through knee-deep floodwaters caused by the southwest monsoon (habagat) on Tuesday (July 22, 2025). The town is under a state of calamity. (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)

By Jose Cielito Reganit, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – A district engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Bulacan admitted before the House of Representatives Infra-Comm on Tuesday that he issued completion certificates without personally inspecting the works, mostly flood-control projects.

The hearing underscored how questionable agency insertions and flawed certification practices had allowed millions in public funds to flow to contractors, who were earlier flagged by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

DPWH Department Order No. 99, Series of 2015, requires district engineers to personally certify the completion of projects. The certification becomes the official basis for releasing payments to contractors.

In his testimony before the committee, Henry Alcantara admitted that he issued completion certificates without personally inspecting the projects.

“Ni isa wala po kayong tiningnan (You did not inspect even one)?” Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, chair of the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability and co-chair of the Infra-Comm, asked Alcantara.

“Meron naman (There were some), your honor,” Alcantara responded, adding that he relied on a team to conduct validations.

“So hindi po ninyo tinitingnan lahat (So, you did not inspect all)?” Chua asked.

“Your honor, hindi po (No, your honor),” Alcantara admitted.

The district engineer later admitted that his certifications were based on the assumption that documents submitted to him were complete and correct.

“There is a presumed regularity to the documents presented to me, your honor,” he said.

He defended himself by pointing to his subordinates.

“There was a certification signed by the project engineer, the implementing section chief,” he said, adding that the volume of paperwork made it impossible for him to personally inspect each project.

Chua said the admission was serious, as he warned that a district engineer’s signature is not a mere formality, but the crucial trigger for government disbursements.

“Hindi po ito maliit na bagay. Kasi once he certifies, magre-release na po ng pera. ‘Yung certificate po niya ang nagiging basis ng releasing ng pera (This is not a small thing. Because once he certifies, money will be released. His signature is the basis for the release of funds),” Chua said.

The lawmaker pointed to the President’s own visit to Bulacan, where he inspected river wall and flood mitigation projects and publicly described them as “ghost projects.”

One of these was the construction of a reinforced concrete river wall in Barangay Piel, Baliuag, Bulacan — a PHP55.7-million contract between the DPWH Bulacan 1st Engineering District and SYMS Construction Trading.

Documents presented during the hearing showed that Alcantara signed the contract.

Chua showed official receipts confirming that PHP43.4 million and PHP5.9 million were paid to SYMS.

“Eh papano po nangyari ‘yun, wala naman po ni isa, ghost nga po yun eh (How did that happen when it was a ghost project)?” he asked.

Chua then moved to another high-profile case — the river protection structure in Barangay Bulusan, Calumpit, Bulacan worth PHP94.6 million and implemented by St. Timothy Construction Company.

That project was also personally inspected by Marcos, who observed that the contractor appeared to have scrimped on cement.

Alcantara likewise signed the contract, as shown by Chua.

The committee presented another Alcantara-signed contract for a flood mitigation structure in Calumpit worth PHP74.6 million, this time with Wawao Builders as the contractor.

Like the others, records showed the project was already paid, but questions about its quality and completion remain.

Former DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan suspended Alcantara while his involvement is being investigated.