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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'BGC boys': Meet the DPWH execs behind the new moniker Lacson exposed

'BGC boys': Meet the DPWH execs behind the new moniker Lacson exposed

Published Sep 9, 2025 04:58 pm

At A Glance

  • Sen. Panfilo Lacson exposed alleged ghost flood control projects in Bulacan worth hundreds of millions, involving falsified billings, reused photos, and impossible completion dates.
  • He identified a group of DPWH engineers dubbed the "BGC Boys," linking them to both anomalous projects and high-stakes gambling.
  • Records showed billions in cash-to-chips and chips-to-cash transactions in casinos, with some members incurring huge losses while others cashed out massive winnings.
  • Specific projects in Bulakan, Calumpit, Malolos, and Hagonoy were cited, including contracts completed on paper in just over a month despite durations of 240–270 days.
  • Lacson said the schemes thrived due to loopholes in procurement laws and lax oversight in the release of project funds.
  • He called for amendments to the Government Procurement Reform Act and Anti-Money Laundering Act, plus stricter validation of progress reports to stop ghost projects and money laundering.
The trail of discoveries tied to the alleged flood control corruption appears far from over.
Senator Panfilo
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson (Office of Senator Lacson)
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Tuesday, Sept. 9, bared fresh revelations of massive corruption in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), linking officials and contractors to ghost and substandard flood control projects, falsified documents, and even money-laundering schemes in casinos.
In a privilege speech titled “Flooded Gates of Hell”, Lacson detailed what he called “insatiable greed” among DPWH officials and favored contractors, who allegedly pocketed billions of pesos intended for flood control structures in Bulacan and nearby areas.
“Justice must catch up with these people because enough is enough,” Lacson declared, as he vowed to submit all evidence gathered by his office to an independent probe body and the proper authorities.
The so-called “BGC Boys” and money-laundering in casinos
Lacson zeroed in on a group of five DPWH officials from the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office, whom casino employees allegedly dubbed the “BGC Boys” — not for Bonifacio Global City, but as the “Bulacan Group of Contractors.”
The senator identified them as:
  • Former DPWH OIC Assistant Regional Director Henry C. Alcantara (alias Joseph Castro Villegas)
  • OIC District Engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez (alias Marvin Santos De Guzman)
  • Assistant District Engineer Jaypee Mendoza (alias Peejay Castro Asuncion)
  • Project Engineer Arjay Domasig (alias Sandro Bernardo Park)
  • Engineer II Edrick San Diego
Based on records obtained by Lacson from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the group incurred gross losses of ₱950 million in casinos across Metro Manila, Cebu, and Pampanga. Despite these staggering losses, they also reported massive winnings, which Lacson suggested may have been part of a money-laundering scheme.
At Okada Manila on October 17–18, 2022, Alcantara won ₱301,850, while Hernandez, Domasig, and Mendoza lost a combined ₱1.75 million.
Even more striking, Pagcor records showed huge cash-to-chips and chips-to-cash transactions by the BGC Boys from 2023 to 2025:
  • Alcantara: ₱1.428 billion (cash to chips); ₱997.765 million (chips to cash)
  • Hernandez: ₱659.91 million (cash to chips); ₱1.385 billion (chips to cash)
  • Mendoza: ₱26.5 million (cash to chips); ₱280.093 million (chips to cash)
“Yes, you heard it right, B as in bilyon (billion),” Lacson stressed, noting that some officials cashed out far more than they bought in.
“These DPWH officials reached the lowest of the low — and the highest of the high in the many corners of casinos,” Lacson said.
Ghost and fast-tracked projects
The senator also presented documents showing irregularities in several flood control projects in Bulacan, including:
  • Construction of Flood Control Structure along Labangan Channel (Sta. Monica to Taliptip Section), Bulakan, Bulacan
Contract ID: 24CC0604
Contractor: SYMS Construction
Approved Budget: ₱92.58 million
Awarded: December 2024; Notice to Proceed: Dec. 28, 2024
Billing: 46% completion just two days later
Issue: Package B was a ghost project; progress photos reused
  • Construction of Flood Control Structure along Labangan Channel (Pungo Section), Calumpit, Bulacan
Contract ID: 25CC0072
Contractor: Omar R. Omar Construction
Amount: ₱87.35 million
Contract Duration: 240 days
Declared Completed: Feb. 3, 2025 — only 34 days after start
  • Construction of Flood Control Structure along Labangan Channel (Franca Section), Calumpit, Bulacan
Contract ID: 25CC0091
Contractor: IM Construction Corporation
Amount: ₱87.35 million
Contract Duration: 270 days
Declared Completed: Feb. 3, 2025 — also in 34 days
Issue for Both Calumpit Projects: Identical documents, reports, and photos
  • Construction of Flood Control Structure along Labangan Channel (Longos Section), Malolos, Bulacan
Contract ID: 24CC0545
Contractor: IM Construction Corporation
Progress Report 1: Sept. 30, 2024
Progress Report 2: Dec. 29, 2024
Issue: Same photo reused with altered lighting
  • Two Flood Control Structures along Angat River (Hagonoy Section), Bulacan
Contractor: Wawao Builders
Contract Price: ₱77.199 million each
Start Date: Nov. 21, 2024
Progress Report: Nov. 28, 2024 — already 50% completed
Issue: Unrealistic progress; billing and payment processed immediately
Lacson said these cases show a pattern of falsified public documents, manipulated progress reports, and rigged bidding processes.
The “MBB” Connection
The senator also drew attention to MBB Global Properties Corporation, owner of the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Clark, Pampanga.
He linked its executives to families tied to flood control contracts: Macy Monique Maglanque (daughter of Candaba Mayor Rene Maglanque of Globalcrete Builders), Sunshine Bernardo (daughter of former DPWH Usec. Roberto Bernardo), and Fatima Gay Bonoan Dela Cruz (daughter of former DPWH Sec. Manuel Bonoan).
“Maglanque, Bernardo, Bonoan — MBB. Kayo na po ang mag-connect the dots (I leave it to you to connect the dots),” Lacson remarked.
Criminal and Administrative Charges
Lacson urged the DPWH and other authorities to pursue various criminal and administrative charges.
Beyond exposing the billion-peso anomalies, Lacson urged his colleagues to take concrete steps to ensure such schemes would no longer be repeated. He pressed for amendments to the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), citing how contractors colluded and even used multiple companies under the same control to corner projects through split contracts designed to evade stricter approval thresholds.
The senator likewise raised the need to revisit the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) in light of revelations that casinos became convenient venues to wash ill-gotten funds. He noted that the “cash-to-chips” and “chips-to-cash” trail of the so-called “BGC Boys” underscored a glaring loophole in financial monitoring, one that Congress must address to prevent taxpayers’ money from being laundered in plain sight.
Finally, Lacson proposed tighter safeguards in the government’s budget process and oversight mechanisms, including stricter validation of accomplishment reports and progress billings. He said payments for infrastructure projects must be backed by verifiable documentation, ideally using independent validation or digital monitoring systems, to prevent ghost projects and falsified reports from draining public funds.
Lacson ended his speech with a warning to those he accused of stealing taxpayers’ money while Filipinos in Bulacan continue to suffer from floods.
“In my first privilege speech, I spoke about the flooded gates of corruption. Today we turned our sight to a darker place — the flooded gates of hell,” he said. “It is time to give them what they rightly deserve.”

Related Tags

ping lacson Flood control flood control probe Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)
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