Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has alleged that two district engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Bulacan allegedly lost over ₱300 million each in high-stakes casino gambling.
Lacson said the officials concealed their identities while gambling, “They used aliases, they hid their true identities, gumamit ng fictitious name.”
The Senator also noted that their positions were not commensurate with the scale of money involved. “And these are salary grade 19 officials [the other] being [a] district engineer and the other one occupying a lower position.”
He described the situation as a sign of deeper corruption in the department. “You can just imagine the enormity of the corruption that is going on. This is only in Bulacan,” Lacson stressed.
Lacson further reported that he has already provided the information to an aide of newly appointed DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon for investigation.
During a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on September 1, former Bulacan District Engineer Henry Alcantara admitted that he sometimes accompanied his subordinates, Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza, to casinos.
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito questioned how government officials were able to enter casinos despite restrictions, and place bets as high as Php 5 million in a single game.
“Dapat po ma-verify kung paano po kayo nakakapasok, considering that you are government officials,” Ejercito said.
In a separate move, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon vowed tougher measures against corruption in the agency. He announced a lifetime ban on contractors proven to have engaged in “ghost” or substandard projects and said cases would be filed against them.
