Former Department of Public Works and Highways official Brice Hernandez admitted Tuesday that all infrastructure projects in Bulacan since 2019 were substandard due to widespread corruption.
Hernandez, who served as an assistant district engineer, made the admission during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on flood control projects.
“We’re investigating flood control, and now it’s being admitted that all projects, including classrooms, hospitals, bridges, and roads, are substandard,” said Senator Bam Aquino.
Hernandez affirmed the findings and acknowledged that even streetlight installations were overpriced and compromised.
He said contractors and engineers were compelled to reduce project quality to cover payoffs demanded by officials and influential figures.
“The DPWH has plans and a budget for them. But because you divide that budget among yourselves, in the end, no proper project comes out of it,” Aquino lamented.
The Senator asked if all projects carried this practice of percentage cuts, and Hernandez replied that they did.
“None of what was specified in the plan was followed. None of it was met,” Hernandez admitted.
Aquino assured that the committee would continue to investigate the extent of the irregularities and identify those involved.
