The corruption within the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) may be far more entrenched than previously thought, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said on Monday, following the arrest of a DPWH official who tried to bribe Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste last weekend.

Lacson said the arrest of DPWH Batangas 1st District Engineer Abelardo Calalo supported the theory that some public works district officials were no longer project implementers but had been relegated to being “legmen” and “bagmen” of powerful contractors and lawmakers, whom he called “funders” for inserting projects in the national budget.

“Calalo is far from being a big fish. His arrest reinforces my theory that some DPWH officials, at least at the district engineering level, have been relegated to being legmen and, worse, bagmen of some powerful contractors or funders responsible for the insertions in the budget,” Lacson said.

He emphasized that the investigation must go deeper, not only into Calalo’s actions but into those behind him.

Lacson cited intelligence reports reaching his office indicating the bribery attempt was a 10-percent or P360 million “kickback” tied to a P3.6-billion “approved” budget in the 2025 GAA, an increase from the usual 5-6 percent “passing through” or “parking fee” for the district representative having jurisdiction over the project site.

“Somebody more powerful must be behind this whole scheme. Because that’s huge—we’re talking about ₱3.6 billion, all of it approved under the 2025 General Appropriations Act,” he said.

He pressed for a full-scale investigation into the bigger network behind Calalo’s action, saying the authorities should not stop at merely filing a case and moving on.

While some have called for the relief or reassignment of implicated officials, Lacson argued the issue is far too systemic for such shallow remedies. He pointed to reforms implemented by former DPWH secretary Rogelio Singson during the Aquino administration as an example of effective leadership that managed to “rein in” a deeply bureaucratic department.

“We need a surgical solution. Kicking out people is a simple solution, but it is not the answer. Corruption has become systemic in the DPWH so a surgical solution is needed, not a band-aid,” he said.

Lacson: Bonoan ineffective

Not mincing words, Lacson dismissed DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan as ineffective after the latter downplayed corruption in flood control projects in Bulacan as being merely an “isolated case,” even as Bulakenos continued to wade in filthy floodwaters.

In a statement on Monday, Lacson stressed that while he had not heard past or present DPWH officials speak ill of Bonoan, his “isolated case” claim suggests he is not a good or effective leader.

“In my talks with some DPWH officials, both past and present, I didn’t hear any scathing words about Sec. Bonoan. But for him to claim that Bulacan is an isolated case, he doesn’t strike me as a good, effective leader of his department. Sayang (too bad),” he said on X.

Moreover, Lacson debunked a claim by Bonoan that there was no “ghost” project in Sitio Dike in Barangay Apitong, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

In a television interview, the DPWH secretary claimed the project was located in Barangay Apitong, suggesting there may have been a “miscommunication” about its exact site.

Lacson said his information on the Sitio Dike ghost project—which he revealed in his 20 August privilege speech—came directly from DPWH website documents and grid coordinates posted on the ‘Sumbong sa Pangulo’ platform.

The DPWH website showed the “Flood management program–construction/maintenance of flood mitigation structures and drainage systems, construction of road dike along Mag-Asawang Tubig River, Sitio Dike, Brgy. Apitong Section, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, an item funded under the 2024 General Appropriations Act, was awarded to Elite General Contractor and Development Corp. for P192,996,270, and was listed as completed as of March 2025.”

“We culled the information from the DPWH, which indicated the project was completed,” Lacson said, adding the contract was for P192.99 million. Lacson’s staff learned from local barangay officials that there was no such project when they went there to check

“When you say it is an isolated case, it sounds like a defense mechanism. It suggests you don’t intend to conduct a full-scale and comprehensive investigation. And I expected that, so I had my teams check projects in other areas,” Lacson said.