P950M natalo sa casino ng BGC Boys sa DPWH– Lacson
Ni Ernie Reyes
Tumatangingting na P950 milyon ang natalo sa casino ng tinaguriang BGC Boys sa Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) sa loob ng maraming taon, ayon kay Senate President Pro-Tempore Panfilo Lacson nitong Martes.
Sa pahayag, sinabi ni Lacson na nagpanggap na contractor sa pagpunta sa casino sina dismissed Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara, Assistant Engineers Brice Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza, Arjay Domasig, at Edrick San Diego.
“On top of their multi-million peso wristwatches, signature clothes and sneakers, and whatever lavish lifestyles, these 5 erstwhile DPWH officials of the Bulacan First District Engineering office gained themselves a moniker: BGC Boys — not Bonifacio Global City Boys, but Bulacan Group of Contractors as they have been known to casino employees,” ayon kay Lacson sa kanyang privilege speech.
“Malululula tayo sa laki ng halagang naging talo ng limang ito sa casino: P950 million in gross losses,” aniya saka binanggit ang records mula 13 casinos sa Metro Manila, Cebu at Pampanga.
Sinabi ni Lacson na nagpunta si Hernandez sa casino noong September 1, araw na nagsimula ang imbestigasyon ng Senado sa flood control anomalies saka idinagdag na nagtungo din sa casino ang tatlong pang “BGC Boys.”
“Habang lubog pa rin sa tubig-baha ang mga taga-Bulacan dahil sa pangungurakot ng mga ito at kahit buking na rin mismo ng Pangulo ang kalokohan, sige pa rin ang pagpapasasa ng BGC Boys sa pagwawaldas ng pera ng taong bayan,” ani Lacson.
Aniya, kanyang isinumite ang pangalan ng grupo at alyas nito sa Anti-Money Laundering Council.
Nadiskubre din ni Lacson ang daang pahin ng dokumento na nagpapakita ng anomalya kuwestiyonableng bidding, imposibleng timelines of project completion, manipulated progress reports, at falsified public documents.
“These are not clerical errors; these are fingerprints of a system perfected over the years to pocket billions of funds,” ani Lacson.
“For instance, that SYMS Construction on Dec. 17 2024 secured a notice of award for a P92.58-million project on Dec. 17, 2024. Just two days later, it reported a 46-percent completion rate for the project and received the first tranche of payment in the same month. It received a second tranche of payment in March 2025 when it reported an 89-percent completion rate,” aniya.
Ibinulgar pa ni Lacson na nirebyu ng Bulacan First District Engineering Office at senertipikaha ang contractor’s reports kahit naglalaman ito ng duplicate photos para sa project’s progress.
Aniya, pinuntahan ng kanyang staff ang proyekto at natagpuan nilang hindi pa kumpleto.
“SYMS Construction seems to be complicit sa broad daylight robbery na ito – not once, but twice,” aniya.
Ayon pa kay Lacson sa speech na:” IM Construction Corporation was paid four times for a P92.5-million flood gate and pumping station despite submitting duplicate photos in its progress reports.”
“For two other projects in Calumpit, Bulacan, my office secured letters from Wawao Builders Manager Mark Allan Arevalo stating that they were the winning bidders even before the notice of award for the contract,” ayon kay Lacson.
“The firm later reported a 50-percent completion rate just over a week after getting its notice to proceed,” ayon pa sa senador.
Ernie Reyes para sa RoadNews
