Brice Hernandez admits all DPWH projects in Bulacan 1st district ‘substandard’

Former Bulacan 1st assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez on Tuesday said that all projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways in their engineering office in Bulacan, which include flood control projects, are substandard. 

During the continuing hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee, Hernandez admitted that all the infrastructure projects of their office since 2019 did not meet the required standards because they have “obligations” to the proponents.

“Lahat po ito may obligasyon na kailangan itago…Hindi po name-meet ‘yung eksaktong nasa plano, your Honor,” Hernandez said upon the questioning of Senator Bam Aquino. 

(All of these have an obligation that needs to be hidden... The projects did not meet exactly what is in the plan, your Honor.) 

The former DPWH engineer said that these projects include flood control structures, buildings, roads, and even classrooms. 

“So may plano ang DPWH, merong budget ‘yan, pero dahil ang budget pinaghahati-hatian ninyo, sa dulo, walang project na maayos na dumaan sa inyo—’yan ang testimony mo ngayon,” Aquino asked. 

(So the DPWH has a plan, it has a budget, but because the budget is being divided among you, in the end, no project was built properly—that's your testimony now.) 

Hernandez answered in affirmative. 

Pressed if they had any projects at all that had no “percentages” and were built properly, the engineer said, “Wala po (none), Your Honor.”

Hernandez said that all of their substandard projects started when former Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara came in 2019 until the present. 

“Wala pong tumama kung anong naka-specify sa plano. Hindi po na-meet lahat ‘yun. Lahat po [may porsyentuhan],” he added. 

(No project reached what was specified in the plan. None of them met the standards at all. Everything has a percentage.) —AOL, GMA Integrated News