Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson dropped a bombshell at the Senate plenary on Monday, revealing that at least two officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allegedly lost over P300 million each at local casinos—using fake names to hide their identities.
Lacson said he had already turned over the information to newly appointed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon. “I gave him the information that at least two district engineers and a minor functionary in Bulacan… used aliases. They hid their true identities,” Lacson stated.
According to the senator, one engineer reportedly lost exactly P300 million while the other went beyond that amount. The officials involved were said to be holding Salary Grade 19 positions, earning around P56,000 monthly—a stark contrast to the millions they allegedly gambled away.
The revelations come as the DPWH faces heightened scrutiny over alleged corruption tied to ghost flood control projects. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently replaced former DPWH chief Manuel Bonoan with Dizon, who has since begun a sweeping overhaul of the agency.
Dizon has ordered courtesy resignations from all DPWH officials—from undersecretaries to district engineers—and has implemented lifetime blacklisting for contractors involved in ghost or substandard projects.
Lacson also pointed to legal implications: a 2016 memorandum that prohibits government officials from gambling in casinos, and Article 178 of the Revised Penal Code, which criminalizes the use of a false name to conceal a crime.
