Brice Hernandez admits all Bulacan infrastructure projects since 2019 are substandard
Former Bulacan assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez, on Tuesday, Sept. 23, admitted that all infrastructure projects in the area for the last six years are substandard.
During the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, Hernandez said that since 2019, projects in the area haven't been completed, much less properly executed, because they have "obligations" to proponents.
Sen. Bam Aquino asked him, "So sinasabi mo lahat ng proyekto ninyo, substandard?" to which Hernandez replied, "Opo, your Honor, kasi lahat ng ito may obligasyon na kailangang itago."
"Hindi po namemeet kung ano 'yung eksakto sa plano," he added.
He said the substandard projects included flood control, schools, roads, hospitals, and bridges. Streetlights were also overpriced.
“So may plano ang DPWH, mayroong budget ‘yan, pero dahil ang budget pinaghahati-hatian ninyo, sa dulo, walang project na maayos na dumaan sa inyo?” Aquino asked, to which Hernandez answered in the affirmative.
Asked if they have projects that were built properly, with no kickbacks, he said, "Wala po, your Honor. Wala."
Hernandez noted that the scheme began when his superior, dismissed first district engineer Henry Alcantara, was assigned to Bulacan.
"Mula po noong dumating si Boss Henry, 2019 po up to present po. Wala pong tumama kung ano ‘yung naka-specify sa plano. Hindi po na-meet lahat ‘yon,” he said.
Hernandez also affirmed Alcantara's statements earlier in the hearing, when the latter tagged retired DPWH Usec. Roberto Bernardo, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Sen. Joel Villanueva, and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, as well as former senator Bong Revilla, in alleged kickbacks.
Alcantara claimed Bernardo released hundreds of millions of pesos in funds for projects, of which 25% go to the likes of Estrada and Villanueva.
As for Revilla, Alcantara claimed there were insertions in the 2024 budget for the former's candidacy in the 2025 midterm elections.
Alcantara asserted that he didn't directly transact with them, except for Co. He claimed there were instances in which he brought the money to the lawmaker's residence in Pasig or asked someone else to do it. Money was also supposedly dropped off in other places, with Co's men allegedly taking it.
Hernandez, however, noted that Alcantara's statement has missing details. He said he cannot reveal them yet for fear of being sued for libel.
Bernardo, Revilla, Co, Estrada, and Villanueva have yet to comment on Alcantara's claims, though Estrada and Villanueva previously denied Hernandez's accusations that they were involved in irregularities in flood control projects.
Flood control mess
Hearings at the House of Representatives and the Senate revealed billions of pesos lost to corruption, which prompted the formation of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure that will specifically investigate irregularities in flood control projects in the last 10 years.
On Sept. 11, DPWH Sec. Vince Dizon filed criminal complaints against officials of the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office and four private contractors linked to such anomalies.
The government has also frozen the bank accounts of the contractors and DPWH officials with alleged involvement in the issue.
On Sept. 21, thousands of Filipinos took to the streets to protest corruption in flood control initiatives. In Metro Manila, the “Baha sa Luneta” rally, which was organized by activist groups and university students, saw thousands of people on the streets by Sunday morning. The “Trillion Peso March” that afternoon, referring to the trillions allegedly lost to systemic corruption, at the People Power Monument on EDSA saw the closure of all northbound lanes due to the swelling of the crowd.
