A former official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) admitted before the Senate blue ribbon committee on Tuesday that every project under their Bulacan engineering office—including flood control structures, roads, buildings, and classrooms—failed to meet government standards.
Brice Hernandez, who previously served as assistant district engineer in Bulacan’s 1st district, said the substandard works began in 2019 when then-district engineer Henry Alcantara took over.
“Lahat po ito may obligasyon na kailangan itago…Hindi po name-meet ‘yung eksaktong nasa plano, your Honor,” Hernandez testified when pressed by Senator Bam Aquino.
Aquino asked if there were any projects free from “percentages” or properly built according to specifications. Hernandez’s reply was categorical: “Wala po (none), Your Honor.”
The senator stressed the gravity of Hernandez’s admission: “So may plano ang DPWH, merong budget ‘yan, pero dahil ang budget pinaghahati-hatian ninyo, sa dulo, walang project na maayos na dumaan sa inyo—’yan ang testimony mo ngayon.” The witness affirmed the statement.
According to Hernandez, none of the infrastructure projects handled by their office adhered to the exact plans, with every project tainted by divisions of funds. “Wala pong tumama kung anong naka-specify sa plano. Hindi po na-meet lahat ‘yun. Lahat po [may porsyentuhan],” he added.
