Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez, on Tuesday, admitted that all infrastructure projects in Bulacan from 2019 to 2025 were substandard, citing widespread corruption as the cause.

Hernandez admitted this during Senator Bam Aquino’s interpellation at the  Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on anomalous flood control projects. 

“We’re investigating flood control, ngayon inaamin lahat ng proyekto, pati classroom, pati hospital, pati tulay, pati kalsada, lahat substandard,” Aquino said. 

“Yes po, your honor,” Hernandez confirmed. He went on to reveal that even public lighting projects were overpriced.

According to Hernandez, contractors and district engineers were compelled to reduce project quality to accommodate the “obligations” imposed by officials and other individuals who demanded kickbacks from project budgets.

“May plano ang DPWH, mayroong budget iyan. Pero dahil iyong budget pinaghahati-hatian niyo, sa dulo walang project na maayos na dumaan sa inyo (The DPWH has plans, and there's a budget for them. But because you all divide up the budget among yourselves, in the end, no proper project gets done under your watch),” Aquino pointed out, to which Hernandez again responded, “Yes po, your honor.”

The former official detailed how, from 2019 to 2025, no major infrastructure project in the province complied with its original specifications, confirming that corruption tainted every phase—from planning to execution.

“Wala pong tumama kung ano iyong naka-specify sa plano. Hindi po na-meet lahat iyon (None of the specifications in the plan were followed. None of them were met),” Hernandez disclosed.

“Lahat iyan, may porsiyentuhan? (All of those involved in kickbacks),” Aquino asked.

Hernandez replied. “Lahat po (All of them), your honor.”

Speechless?

Meanwhile, Former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan appeared at loss for words after Hernandez's claims.

“I don't know what to say. [T]his is the first time that I have heard about all this shenanigans that they're doing actually in this district engineering office,” he told Aquino.

Bonoan noted that the DPWH's Bureau of Construction, was supposed to be monitoring each projects phase.

“In my watch, they're supposed to submit monitoring reports every phase of the work, every phase of the project,” he said.