Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson sounded the alarm on Wednesday on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) having become a “playground for syndicates” deeply entrenched in anomalous infrastructure projects nationwide.

Lacson in a radio interview said he continues to receive information linking several DPWH district engineering offices to fraudulent practices, including the already exposed substandard or “ghost” flood control projects.

“There are so many irregularities involving the district engineering offices,” Lacson said, citing cases in which district engineers allegedly “borrowed” contractors’ licenses to execute projects themselves.

He said the practice is a clear violation of procurement laws and ethical standards.

“The district engineer points to contractors and borrows their licenses, which he will use to implement the project. There are also feelers that there are irregularities in even the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board,” he said.

Among those flagged were engineering offices in Bulacan and San Carlos City in Negros Occidental, which Lacson said mirrored the operations of a syndicate.

In a privilege speech on 20 August, Lacson identified ghost or substandard flood control projects in Pampanga, La Union, and Oriental Mindoro.

Lacson singled out Darcy and Anna Builders, a contractor he claimed secured multiple flood control projects in Bulacan under suspicious circumstances.

He also denounced the lack of transparency in the national budgeting process, saying “funders” — lawmakers inserting projects into the General Appropriations Act (GAA) — remain unaccountable.

Eclipsing education

“Because of their greed, the funders seek funding for the projects at the expense of PhilHealth and other agencies,” Lacson said.

The senator noted that the 2025 GAA gave DPWH a larger allocation than education in violation of the Constitution, while stripping PhilHealth of its subsidy.

“That was the first time I heard of the regular budget being realigned to the unprogrammed fund. Next thing we know, they may target the automatic appropriations,” he said.

Despite the mounting allegations, Malacañang said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. continues to trust DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan.

The Palace allowing Bonoan to cling to his post is in contrast with the President’s immediate axing of Philippine National Police chief Nicolas Torre III over a rift with the National Police Commission chaired by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.

“Right now, the President has not mentioned anything, so if there will be any action regarding Secretary Bonoan, we will just have to wait. But for the moment, his trust is still there,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said.

Bonoan, for his part, declared he will not resign but will “cleanse” the DPWH of corrupt employees, leaving his fate up to Marcos.

Speculations Bonoan was about to be ousted swirled after former DPWH secretary Rogelio Singson disclosed, he had received “feelers” about rejoining the agency.

Singson, however, brushed this off, saying he had not been formally approached and he would rather lead an investigation into the ghost projects.

Thorough probe

Meanwhile, Malacañang said it will look into the disclosures of Bicol Saro Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon, who revealed that “ghost and substandard projects” in Bulacan and Benguet were embedded in the National Expenditure Program.

“If that is a priority project and in line with the NEP, accountability is stricter, the President will focus more on it. But whether it is in the NEP or part of the insertions and projects of other politicians, it does not mean that it will not be investigated. All of that will be investigated equally,” Castro said.

Marcos himself inspected completed but defective projects in Baguio City and made the rounds of Marikina, Bulacan, and Iloilo to check on flood control works.