Two officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Bulacan allegedly lost more than P300 million each in casino gambling, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson revealed Monday, raising alarm over deep-seated corruption within the agency.
Lacson said the officials—one a district engineer and the other a lower-ranking staff member—were playing under aliases to conceal their identities. Both reportedly hold positions with Salary Grade 19 or lower, making their extravagant gambling losses implausible if based solely on government salaries.
“You can just imagine the enormity of the corruption that is going on. And this is only in Bulacan,” Lacson said in a statement, adding that he had already relayed the information to newly appointed DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon.
Admissions at the Senate
The revelations surfaced during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, where former Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara admitted that he and his assistant district engineer, Brice Hernandez, frequented casinos. Alcantara claimed his bets ranged between P30,000 and P50,000 per visit.
Senator JV Ejercito noted that such amounts are already questionable for public officials on modest government pay. Lacson, meanwhile, maintained that the figures point to a much larger pattern of illicit activity, with losses running into hundreds of millions.
Forged inspections, ghost projects
Lacson also warned of systemic malpractice in DPWH operations, citing cases where officials borrowed contractors’ licenses to secure projects and even forged inspection reports.
“Walang nangyaring inspection pero may pirma, so nabayaran,” Lacson said. “Kaya ganoon kasama na at ganoon kagahaman. Imbes na substandard, wala talagang ginawa. Buong budget para sa project, nilaro sa casino.”
(There was no inspection at all, yet signatures appeared as if officials had been paid. That is how bad and greedy it has become. Instead of delivering even substandard projects, some were not built at all—because the budget was funneled into casinos.)
Possible legislative action
Lacson said he is considering pushing for a measure penalizing the lending and borrowing of construction licenses, a scheme that has allowed unqualified firms to take on multimillion-peso government projects.
The senator stressed that the Bulacan case could be just the tip of the iceberg, underscoring the urgent need for tighter oversight and accountability within the DPWH.