Jamaine Punzalan

Bulacan Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez attends the congressional hearing on the alleged ghost flood control projects at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><iframe width="1100" height="619" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m6wmiq5Awpk" title="Brice Hernandez, nagsalita sa hatian sa &#x27;ghost projects&#x27;; nanghingi ng proteksyon | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>MANILA<strong> (2nd UPDATE) </strong>— Dismissed Bulacan First District engineer Brice Hernandez on Thursday claimed he and other Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) personnel “shared” profits from ghost projects.</p><p>Hernandez said the alleged scheme involved his former boss Henry Alcantara and engineers Jaypee Mendoza and Paul Duya.</p><p>&quot;Yung project na yun, mayroon po kaming sharing na pag kumita po, si Boss Henry po mayroong 40 percent. Ako po may 20 percent, si Engineer Jaypee mayroong 20 percent, at si Engineer Duya, mayroon din pong 20 percent,&quot; he told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.</p><p>Hernandez claimed that they made ghost projects due to the increase in “tara” or grease money.</p><p>When asked who gets the supposed grease money, he said, “Sa proponent daw po, sabi ni boss.”</p><p>“Wala po akong direktang pakikipag-usap sa proponent,” Hernandez said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/18/dpwh-initiating-warranty-claims-vs-ghost-substandard-flood-control-projects-1005">DPWH initiating warranty claims vs ghost, substandard flood control projects</a></div><div><iframe width="1100" height="619" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-7dCPcKDkG0" title="SYMS owner Sally Santos seeks Senate protection amid fears for her life | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br id="isPasted"/></div><p>Alcantara admitted he had a hand in splitting the piles of cash or kickback from anomalous flood control projects.</p><p>He tried to deny it at first when a photo of the cash on a table was shown during the hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Thursday because the man’s head could not be seen.</p><p>“Posible pong ako,” Alcantara said.</p><p>Minutes later, Senator Erwin Tulfo showed another photo taken from a wider angle which showed Alcantara’s face.</p><p>“Yes, your honor, ako po,” Alcantara confessed.</p><p>“Kanina sinasabi mo wala kang kinalaman diyan hindi ka may-ari niyan huwag kang isama ni Brice, so ibig mong sabihin ito ang patunay na may kinalaman ka sa mga partehan na yan,” Tulfo remarked.</p><p>“Ang sinasabi ko po sa ghost project po hindi po ako kasama,” Alcantara said.</p><p>“Nakunan ka ng litrato ikaw mismo ikaw ang nagsu-supervise kung papaano i-empake kanino ibibigay definitely yung mga nakakarton na yan. So alam mo?” Tulfo pressed.  </p><p>“Yes, your honor,” Alcantara replied.</p><p>Despite this, Alcantara maintained that he was not involved in the anomalous deeds of his former subordinates Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza.</p><p>“Let us just try to compare. Bakit po yung mga ibang contractor na hindi under ng SYMS, hindi under ng Wawao, natatapos po ang project? And yung mga project lang pong yun, ang naka-assign na project engineer hindi nila mga bata yun,” Alcantara claimed.</p><p>Tulfo blasted Alcantara.</p><p>“Ang problema sayo kasi, Mr. Alcantara, ikaw yung hepe, dapat iniinspeksyon mo. Pangalawa huwag mong sabihin wala kang kinalaman andun ka sa limpak-limpak na pera na ineempake sana tinanong mo ‘Saan galing ito mga iho? napakarami naman.’ Huwag mong sabihing hulog ng langit yung pera na yun. So it must have come from somewhere, somewhere na illegal,” Tulfo said. “Kaya huwag kang magmamalinis dito.”  </p><p>SYMS Construction Trading owner and manager Sally Santos pinned the blame on Hernandez and Mendoza, saying she did not have dealings with Alcantara.</p><p>In fact, she said, Hernandez called her up in September.</p><p>“Akong bahala sa’yo, bibigyan kita ng abogado, ng pera, tutulungan kita. Kung puwede sana mayroon lang sana akong ipakikiusap sayo, ituro mo si DE Henry na siyang doon ko binibigay sa kanya yung pera, after po nun binibigay daw po ni DE Henry yung pera kay Usec Bernardo and then kay Zaldy Co,” Santos testified.  </p><p>Hernandez denied this, but conceded that Senate President Pro Tempore and Blue Ribbon Committee Chair Panfilo Lacson got their modus operandi right.</p><p>“Tignan niyo oh. Lahat pare-parehong petsa eh. Natapos ng pareho, binayaran ng parehong petsa. Pareho pati yung 4% na increase,” Lacson said. “Talagang brazen ang tawag.”</p><p>“Totoo po, your honor. Inuutos po ni boss Henry na pakolektahin po ang mga project kasi po mayroon target disbursement buwan-buwan na kapag hindi naubos ang pera hiindi makakakuha ng susunod na budget para sa susunod na buwan. Kaya siya nagpapakolekta ng mga project kahit walang accomplishment, kulang ang accomplishment,” Hernandez explained.</p><p>Alcantara countered this while Mendoza said he did not know anything about ghost projects until he saw the reports on television.</p><p>Mendoza was cited in contempt.</p><p>Lacson also warned Hernandez against lying after he denied having a fake license card with the name Marvin Santos De Guzman.</p><p>Hernandez admitted that he used the alias but said he only used a membership number when he played in a casino.</p><p>But Lacson pointed out that Okada wrote his office to say Hernandez registered under the said name and presented the driver’s license in question.<br id="isPasted"/><br/>“Sinungaling din Okada?” Lacson said. You’re being confronted with all these documents, all these proofs tapos you keep denying and you have the gall to ask for a legislative immunity?”<br/><br/>Aside from Mendoza, also cited in contempt and detained in the Senate were Hernandez, Alcantara, and contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>CURLEE DISCAYA: WE PAID 10-25 PERCENT KICKBACKS</strong></div><p>Government contractor Curlee Discaya also told the committee that he and his wife Sarah were pressured into giving payoffs to DPWH officials to get projects, an allegation he also made at a past hearing.</p><p>&quot;So, sumatotal, nagbabayad din po kayo kahit sa project sa Quezon City,&quot; Sen. Risa Hontiveros said.</p><p>(So, you also paid a kickback for the product in Quezon City)</p><p>&quot;Ah, labag po sa kalooban po namin, pero, ano po, ah, kasi ma, maano po, magkakaroon po ng problema po...at saka yung mga projects po namin.&quot; Discaya said.</p><p>(It was against our will, but we did not want problems)</p><p>Discaya stressed that the payments were under duress, but Hontiveros pressed him to acknowledge that he still paid.</p><p>&quot;Yes. Hindi kayo hinuhold up. Kayong nanguhold up sa taong bayan pag napatunayan namin lahat-lahat nitong mga flood control project scams. &quot; Hontiveros said.</p><p>(Yes, you were not robbed. You are the ones who robbed the people if we prove all these flood control scams)</p><p>Discaya said they paid 10-25 percent of the contract price for the project.</p><p>Senate President Vicente Sotto III advised Discaya to tell the whole truth and avail of legislative immunity.</p><p>&quot;Pag sa hearing kayo nagsasalita, pwede niyo invoke legislative immunity. Magsalita kayo, huwag nyo sabihin yung against self-incrimination. Hindi. There is such thing inherent sa mga committees, yung legislative immunity ang tinatawag. Kung meron kayong gusto ipagtapat, ipagtapat ninyo.&quot;</p><p>(At hearings, you can invoke legislative immunity. Speak up, don&#x27;t bring up self-incrimination. The legislative immunity is inherent to committees. If you have anything to confess, do it)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/18/-binabastos-mo-kami-curlee-discaya-cited-in-contempt-for-allegedly-lying-1036">&#x27;Binabastos mo kami&#x27;: Curlee Discaya cited in contempt for allegedly lying<br id="isPasted"/></a><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/18/contractor-rejects-brice-hernandez-s-payoff-claims-denies-ties-to-estrada-1305">Contractor rejects Brice Hernandez’s payoff claims, denies ties to Estrada</a></div><div><iframe width="1100" height="619" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7o72emZ5dTQ" title="Tulfo kay Alcantara: &#x27;District engineer ka, hindi mo alam na may ghost project?&#x27; | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div>

<p>Dismissed Bulacan First District engineer Brice Hernandez on Thursday claimed he and other Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) personnel “shared” profits from ghost projects.</p>

Dismissed Bulacan First District engineer Brice Hernandez on Thursday claimed he and other Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) personnel “shared” profits from ghost projects.

Brice Hernandez says DPWH engineers 'shared' profits from ghost projects

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Brice Hernandez says DPWH engineers 'shared' profits from ghost projects

Jamaine Punzalan,

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 18, 2025 01:25 PM PHT

|

Updated September 18, 2025 09:40 PM PHT

Read More:

DPWH

corruption

flood control

baha

Bulacan

Brice Hernandez

Henry Alcantara

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