DPWH bans 2 contractors for life

Ex-Bulacan district engineer dismissed

- TRIXEE ROSEL

Wawao Builders and SYMS Construction, contractors behind controversial flood control projects in Bulacan, were slapped with a lifetime ban in participating in any government projects, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) disclosed on Thursday, Sept. 4.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon announced the sanctions during an inspection of a flood control project in Barangay Sipat, Plaridel.

The project, handled by Wawao Builders, had been declared completed in 2024, even though actual construction only began three weeks just before Dizon’s inspection.

“You call this a dead project but being revived as it was already paid for last year. The DPWH here said it was 100-percent completed last year,” a visibly infuriated Dizon said during the inspection.

Dizon said that based on the DPWH project briefer, the flood control project started on March 20, 2024, with a duration of 270 days.

In the same briefer, it was reported to have been completed 100 percent on June 11, 2024.

However, an official of the Barangay Sipat told Dizon that the project only started three weeks ago "But maybe, three weeks ago, when the issue started heating upthe Senate and Congress were already investigating, and the President was already angry-they were trying to revive the dead. It's over. This is clearly a ghost project," he added.

On the spot, Dizon announced the dismissal of Engineer Henry Alcantara after the project briefer on the completion of the project showed he was one of the signatories as Bulacan First District engineer at the time.

"He is now dismissed. I will call for summary dismissal of Henry Alcantara," Dizon said, adding the charges would involve theft of public funds.

"Next week, I will ask DPWH Legal to recommend filing the appropriate charges with the Ombudsman. This is clearly a criminal act involving P100 million-this is outright theft," he added.