DPWH officials in Bulacan lost over P300M each to gambling, says Sen. Lacson

Two Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials in Bulacan have reportedly lost over P300 million each through casino gambling, according to Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson.

Lacson stated that the officials involved held positions with Salary Grade 19 or less and used aliases to conceal their identities.

The senator expressed his belief that this situation highlights the significant level of corruption occurring within the DPWH in Bulacan.

He has already informed the new DPWH Secretary, Vince Dizon, about these allegations.

During a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, former Bulacan 1st district engineer Henry Alcantara and his former assistant district engineer, Brice Hernandez, admitted to gambling in casinos.

Senator JV Ejercito mentioned being informed that Alcantara spent between P30,000 and P50,000 on gambling.

Lacson also suggested measures to penalize the lending and borrowing of contractors' licenses, as some DPWH officials allegedly use these borrowed licenses to undertake projects.

He further alleged that Hernandez and others forged signatures for inspections, allowing payments for projects that were never actually completed and whose budgets were instead used for gambling.