Brice Hernandez: Bulacan engineers 'shared' profits from ghost projects

Former Bulacan first district assistant engineer Brice Hernandez said that he and several other engineers at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) divided the "profits" for ghost projects among themselves.

“Yung project[s] na ‘yun, meron po kaming sharing na pag kumita po… si Boss Henry po meron 40%, ako po may 20%, si engineer Jaypee meron po 20% at si engineer Paul Duya meron din pong 20%,” said Hernandez as the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee probe on anomalous flood projects resumed on Thursday.

(For these projects, we have a sharing once we get income… Boss Henry has 40%, I have 20%, engineer Jaypee gets 20% and engineer Paul Duya also gets 20%.)

Hernandez made the statement after he was granted legislative immunity by the Senate to share how ghost projects worked in their district.

“Yung sharing po kung magkano lahat, meron pong certain percentage kung magkano po naging kita. ‘Yun po yung hatian,” he added.

(The sharing on how much the total is—we have a certain percentage as to how much the income was. That’s what we share.)

Hernandez also shared that the increase of "grease money" was part of the reason why they decided to make ghost projects.

“Sa proponent daw po [napupunta yung tara], sabi ni boss. Wala po akong direktang ano, pakikipag-usap sa proponent,” Hernandez shared.

(The tara goes to the proponent, according to my boss. I don’t have direct contact with the proponent.)

Meanwhile, Hernandez's former boss, Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara, rejected the accusations.

“Hindi ko po alam [kung sino yung proponent,] your honor. Every time po na may itatanong sa kanya, puro po ang turo sa akin… Maliwanag naman po dito na sinasabi ng contractor na sila po ang kausap niya, your honor,” he said.

(I don’t know who the proponent is, your honor. Every time he’s asked a question, he keeps on pointing at me… It’s very clear that the contractor said that they were their contacts, your honor.)

Alcantara was later cited in contempt by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee for allegedly lying about his knowledge of the projects. 

Senator Erwin Tulfo put forward the motion, saying it is unbelievable that Alcantara would not know about the ghost projects in his jurisdiction when he is the chief of the DPWH District Engineering Office there.

“Dalawang hearing na itong nagsisinungaling. Sa mga taong nasa baba, lahat may kasalanan, ikaw wala. District engineer ka, hindi mo alam na may ghost projects. Wala ka rin alam, lumubo 'yung budget mo. Hindi ba dumadaan sa lamesa mo 'yan na lumaki 'yung pondo mo?” Tulfo said.

(He has been lying for two hearings already, saying his subordinates are at fault and that he is innocent. He is the District Engineer and he does not know about this? And he is not aware that funding for these projects ballooned? These matters pass through his desk in the first place.)

To which Alcantara replied, “Your Honor, kami naman po pag lumalabas po sa GAA, ini-implement lang po namin 'yung project. Actually po ‘yung sinasabi ko po sa ghost project, talaga po wala akong alam diyan.” 

(We just implement the project. I do now know anything about the ghost projects.)

Asked to take the blame?

Hernandez also told the committee that in a meeting on August 3, 2025, Alcantara asked him and Mendoza to take the blame for the anomalous flood control projects.

“Pinapaako sa aming dalawa lang ni Jaypee Mendoza ang problema sa mga flood control projects. Siyempre po hindi kami pumayag,” Hernandez testified.

(They tried to make just the two of us—JP Mendoza and me—take the blame for the flood control projects. Of course, we refused.)

He accused Alcantara of orchestrating a campaign to shield himself by coercing other staff to support his narrative. According to Hernandez, employees were threatened that they would be dragged into the controversy if they did not side with Alcantara.

Others complied out of gratitude for promotions and favors.

“Kaya sila napilitang kumampi kay Alcantara para kami na lang ang idiin nilang lahat. Kami po ang sakripisyo,” Hernandez said, adding that Alcantara’s allies were rewarded with permanent posts in the district engineering office.

(So they were forced to side with Director Alcantara, leaving us the ones to be blamed for everything. We became the sacrificial lambs.)

Alcantara, however, denied coercing staff or masterminding anomalies. He insisted that affidavits already submitted to the DPWH central office would disprove Hernandez’s claims.

“Hindi po totoo na tinakot ko po yung mga tao… Ang sinasabi ko lang po sa kanila ay magsabi ng katotohanan,” Alcantara said, adding that employees voluntarily executed sworn statements about the August 3 meeting.

(It is not true that I threatened the staff… What I told them was to simply tell the truth.) —VAL, GMA Integrated News