COA files P360-M fraudulent Bulacan flood control projects with ICI
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Audit has filed fraud audit reports covering more than P360 million worth of flood control projects in Bulacan, citing mismatched sites and missing records under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office.
COA said on Friday, September that the four reports it transmitted to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) detailed how district engineers and contractors allegedly altered project sites without justification, counted pre-existing structures as new work, and failed to submit critical documents despite repeated demands.
Mismatched sites, duplicate structures
In all four projects, COA auditors said DPWH representatives led them to sites that did not match the locations approved in the contracts.
In several cases, auditors found that slope protection and riverbank structures were already in place before the contracts took effect, which raises the possibility of double-counting accomplishments.
For instance, at a P92.8-million flood control project along Angat River in Pulilan handled by SYMS Construction Trading, COA discovered that a slope-protection structure already existed at the approved location prior to the contract's Feb. 25, 2025 effectivity date.
"This modus raises the possibility of double-counted accomplishments," COA stated in its report.
Similarly, at a P98.9-million slope protection project in Bocaue implemented by a joint venture between Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc. and Beam Team Developer Specialist Inc., satellite imagery showed flood control structures were already present at the approved site as early as Feb. 29, 2024 — months before the joint venture received its notice to proceed on April 23, 2024.
"This information confirmed what was seen on the ground by COA, the accomplishments being attributed to the JV belong to a different project.," COA said.
Substandard work, missing documents
Beyond the location mismatches, COA found that structures built at the unauthorized sites failed to meet project specifications outlined in the contracts.
DPWH officials consistently failed to provide supporting documents or justifications for relocating the projects, violating COA Circular No. 2009-001 dated Feb. 12, 2009.
For the P69.5-million Plaridel project (a "Riverbank Protection Structure" at Barangay Bulihan), COA had already issued a notice of disallowance to DPWH-Bulacan 1st district engineering office as early as August 2025 for the agency's failure to submit disbursement vouchers and supporting documents in a timely manner.
This particular project was implemented by Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc.
A disallowance is defined as the disapproval in audit of a transaction, particularly a disbursement, either in whole or in part, due to non-compliance with regulations or guidelines.
The fraud reports name District Engineer Henry C. Alcantara and Assistant District Engineer Brice Ericson D. Hernandez as liable parties in all four projects, alongside Planning and Design Section Chief Ernesto Galang.
Also named are various project engineers, namely John Michael E. Ramos, Lemuel Ephraim SD. Roque, Jolo Mari V. Tayao, John Carlo C. Rivera, John Michael E. Marcos, Claudine Magdalene S. Magsakay, Ericka Justine P. Chico, Emelita V. Morales, and Isiah Lor V. Galang.
The contractors and their representatives facing liability include Sally N. Santos of SYMS Construction Trading; Eumir S. Villanueva of Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc.; Allan Kevin Payawal of the Topnotch-Beam Team joint venture; and Gian Carlo Galang of the Topnotch-One Frame Construction joint venture, along with their respective corporate officers and board members.
Those implicated may face charges of graft and corruption under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, malversation and falsification under the Revised Penal Code, and procurement violations, COA warned.
"The Commission stressed that the initial list of liable persons is not final and may expand as
the audit progresses, or new information becomes available," the commission said in its release.
State auditors were directed by COA Chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba in August to immediately audit all DPWH flood control projects in Bulacan from July 1, 2022 to May 30, 2025, following complaints lodged on the "Sumbong sa Pangulo" platform.
The audit reports will feed into the ICI's ongoing probe into irregularities in public works projects, COA said.
- Latest
- Trending
