Photo credit: Senate PH

Senator Panfilo Lacson today, Tuesday, delivered a blistering continuation of his exposé on corruption in government flood control projects, revealing a group he dubbed the "Bulacan Group of Contractors" (BGC). During a privilege speech on the Senate floor, Lacson presented a stunning web of alleged anomalies, including fake projects, doctored documents, and staggering gambling losses by officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The senator began by addressing a DPWH undersecretary who had previously denied his claims of corruption, stating, "She was actually lying through her teeth." Lacson then showed a text message from the official as proof of her alleged deceit, setting a confrontational tone for the rest of his speech.

A Dam of Deceit and a Flood of Winnings

Lacson revisited his previous speech on the "flooded gates of corruption," noting that his initial revelations had prompted a public outcry and a flood of tips from citizens about "substandard and ghost projects." He warned that his new evidence would be "hazardous to your health" and "make your blood boil."

He then introduced the BGC, a group of five former DPWH officials from the Bulacan First District Engineering Office. Lacson detailed their lavish lifestyles, including "multi-million peso wristwatches, signature clothes, and sneakers," and their frequent visits to casinos. Using official records from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), he revealed that the group, which included former DPWH engineers Henry Alcantara and Brice Hernandez, had incurred a combined P950 million in gross losses across 13 casinos.

Lacson pointed out the irony of these officials losing public money in casinos while Bulacan residents continued to suffer from persistent flooding. He accused the BGC of using aliases and forged identification to conceal their identities.

Fabricated Projects and Family Ties

The senator's speech shifted to the alleged modus operandi of the contractors and officials. He presented compelling photographic evidence of "ghost projects" by SIMS Construction, showing that the company submitted the exact same photos for different progress billings, with only the dates changed. He cited a P92.58 million project that was supposedly 46% complete in just two days and fully paid within three months, even though it was a ghost project.

Lacson also called out Wawao Builders for allegedly billing for 50% completion of two projects in just seven days. He expressed his frustration, saying, "parang nakikita ko, Mr. President, na nagtatawanan pa ang mga matatalinong gagong matsing na ito habang nagbibyahe papuntang kasino, dalang kwartang kinulimbat." (I can just imagine, Mr. President, these smart fools laughing as they head to the casino, carrying the money they stole while poor Bulacan residents were bailing out floodwaters from their homes.)

Connecting the dots further, Lacson exposed a web of relationships between the contractors and high-ranking government officials. He revealed that Global Concrete Builders, a company with multi-billion-peso projects, is owned by Mayor Rene Maglanque of Candaba. He then tied a hotel in Clark, Pampanga, to the family names of Maglanque, Bernardo, and Bonoan—a mayor, a former DPWH undersecretary, and the former DPWH secretary, respectively—suggesting a larger, systemic network of corruption.

Path to Justice and Reform

In his concluding remarks, Lacson urged the Department of Public Works and Highways to refer the matter for the filing of criminal cases against those involved. He recommended charges for malversation through falsification of public documents, graft, plunder, and the use of fictitious names.

To prevent future anomalies, he proposed legislative reforms, including amending the Contractor's License Law to permanently ban blacklisted contractors and increasing penalties for conflicts of interest among public officials. He emphasized the need for transparency, calling for the publication of detailed architectural and engineering designs for all projects.

"These people have reduced the lives of our flood-stricken countrymen into a living hell," Lacson said. "It is time to give them what they rightly deserve." He concluded by expressing hope that those who stole from the Filipino people would soon be "drowning... in sins and moral decay" and the sheer volume of cases they will have to face.