Bulacan, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has dismissed Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara following allegations of his involvement in ghost flood-control projects worth millions of pesos.
DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon announced Alcantara’s immediate dismissal during an inspection in Barangay Sipat, Plaridel. He also confirmed that the agency’s legal team will recommend filing criminal charges against the former district engineer with the Ombudsman next week. “This is clearly criminal. This is theft of P100 million,” Dizon said.
Alcantara was earlier flagged for issuing a certificate of completion for a ₱55-million flood-control project in Baliwag that was later revealed to be non-existent. During a House inquiry, he admitted to signing off on the project but claimed he relied on his team’s final inspection report. In a separate issue, Alcantara also confessed to using an alias and a fake ID to enter a casino, a violation of the Administrative Code of 1987 which prohibits government officials from gambling.
From 2022 to 2025, Alcantara’s office oversaw 450 flood-control projects amounting to ₱28.9 billion — the highest budget allocation among DPWH district engineering offices. However, one of the projects under his supervision, a reinforced concrete river wall in Baliwag built by Syms Construction Trading, was exposed as a ghost project.
The controversy has prompted the DPWH to take broader action. Dizon said two more officials from the Bulacan First District Engineering Office — Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza — are facing preliminary dismissal proceedings. At the same time, contractors Wawao Builders and Syms Construction Trading have been banned for life from participating in DPWH projects after being linked to questionable contracts.
During his inspection, Dizon cited another case in Plaridel where a flood-control project marked as 100% complete in 2024 was only started three weeks ago. “What I call it is dead, but they’re trying to revive it because it was already paid for last year. This is clearly a ghost project,” he said.
The dismissal of Alcantara comes as part of the government’s intensified crackdown on corruption in flood-control projects across Bulacan and Central Luzon. A Senate-led probe, dubbed “Philippines Under Water,” has exposed irregularities such as ghost projects, contractor license leasing, and monopolistic practices that channeled billions of pesos into the hands of a select few contractors.
In response, the Ombudsman has formed a special panel to expedite administrative and criminal cases against those involved. Dizon, who assumed the DPWH leadership on September 1, has also ordered courtesy resignations from key officials as part of sweeping reforms to restore integrity within the department.
The case against Alcantara underscores the scale of the scandal and highlights the DPWH’s commitment to hold accountable those who misuse public funds intended for critical infrastructure projects.
