Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- Five former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) personnel tagged in allegedly anomalous flood projects blew over P950 million in casino losses, Sen. Panfilo Lacson alleged Tuesday.Lacson said dismissed Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara, Assistant Engineers Brice Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza, Arjay Domasig, Edrick San Diego posed as contractors during their casino dealings.&quot;On top of their multi-million peso wristwatches, signature clothes and  sneakers, and whatever lavsih lifestyles, these 5 erstwhile DPWH officials of the Bulacan First District Engineering office gained themselves a moniker: BGC Boys -- not Bonifacio Global City Boys, but Bulacan Group of Contractors as they have been known to casino employees,&quot; the senator said in a privilege speech.&quot;Malululula tayo sa laki ng halagang naging talo ng limang ito sa casino: P950 million in gross losses,&quot; he said, citing records from 13 casinos in Metro Manila, Cebu and Pampanga. He alleged that Hernandez visited a casino on Sept. 1, the same day that the Senate looked into alleged flood control anomalies. Lacson added that 3 other &quot;BGC Boys&quot; were at casinos as recently as August. &quot;Habang lubog pa rin sa tubig-baha ang mga taga-Bulacan dahil sa pangungurakot ng mga ito at kahit buking na rin mismo ng Pangulo ang kalokohan, sige pa rin ang pagpapasasa ng BGC Boys sa pagwawaldas ng pera ng taong bayan,&quot; Lacson said.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/9/ex-dpwh-engineer-tags-estrada-villanueva-in-alleged-flood-control-anomalies-1055">Ex-DPWH engineer tags Estrada, Villanueva in alleged flood control anomalies</a></div>Lacson said he submitted the group&#x27;s name and aliases to the Anti-Money Laundering Council. The senator added that his office uncovered hundreds of pages of documents that showed rigged or questionable biddings, impossible timelines of project completion, manipulated progress reports, and falsified public documents. &quot;These are not clerical errors; these are fingerprints of a system perfected over the years to pocket billions of funds,&quot; Lacson said.For instance, he noted that SYMS Construction on Dec. 17 2024 secured a notice of award for a P92.58-million project on Dec. 17, 2024. Just two days later, it reported a 46-percent completion rate for the project and received the first tranche of payment in the same month. It received a second tranche of payment in March 2025 when it reported an 89-percent completion rate. Lacson said the Bulacan First District Engineering Office reviewed and certified the contractor&#x27;s reports even though it contained duplicate photos for the project&#x27;s progress. He said his staff inspected the project site and found that it remained incomplete.&quot;SYMS Construction seems to be complicit sa broad daylight robbery na ito – not once, but twice,&quot; he said. Another contractor IM Construction Corporation was paid four times for a P92.5-million flood gate and pumping station despite submitting duplicate photos in its progress reports, Lacson alleged. For two other projects in Calumpit, Bulacan, Lacson said his office secured letters from Wawao Builders Manager Mark Allan Arevalo stating that they were the winning bidders even before the notice of award for the contract. The firm later reported a 50-percent completion rate just over a week after getting its notice to proceed, Lacson said. <div> </div><div>MONEY LAUNDERING? </div>Senators are now asking if DPWH officials involved in anomalous flood control projects committed money laundering when they gambled in casinos&quot;Nagdadala po ng pera milyon-milyon sa casino at ipapalit po ng cash. Kunwari ilalaro nila yung daan-daang milyon, pagkatapos ng ilang oras ay babalik na po sila, papalitan nilang muli yung cash para maging tseke na. Para kapag deposit nila sa bangko eh tseke po ng casino ang nakalagay. Tama po ba?&quot; Senator Erwin Tulfo clarified.  &quot;That’s correct,&quot; Lacson answered. &quot;That’s the money laundering scheme that they employed, that we suspected at least.&quot; Lacson said they received a report that the biggest amount that Alcantara&#x27;s group allegedly brought to casinos amounted to P400 million.He added that casino operators have a shared liability, but acknowledged that it is difficult when customers use aliases. According to Lacson, the AMLC is set to meet with DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon to talk about the matter. Senator Risa Hontiveros said the AMLC needs to testify in the next Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing. &quot;Lumalabas na malayang umiikot ang napakalaking halaga ng pera nang walang trace. Ayon sa Anti-Money Laundering Act as amended, trabaho po ng AMLC na i-monitor ang galaw ng malalaking pera at kasama po sa predicate offenses ng money laundering ang graft and corruption.&quot; &quot;Kung hindi ito agad aksyunan, kasama ang posibleng asset preservation, mawawala po yan na parang tinangay din ng baha at hindi po puwedeng hayaan yan,&quot; she added.<div></div>

Five former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) personnel tagged in allegedly anomalous flood projects blew over P950 million in casino losses, Sen. Panfilo Lacson alleged Tuesday.

Five former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) personnel tagged in allegedly anomalous flood projects blew over P950 million in casino losses, Sen. Panfilo Lacson alleged Tuesday.

DPWH's 'BGC Boys' lost P950 million in casinos: Lacson

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DPWH's 'BGC Boys' lost P950 million in casinos: Lacson

Jamaine Punzalan,

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 09, 2025 03:47 PM PHT

|

Updated September 09, 2025 06:41 PM PHT

Read More:

lifestyle check

corruption

flood

flood control

baha

DPWH

Ping Lacson

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