Government official mandates temporary halt in work for 16 employees within the Department of Public Works and Highways in Bulacan.
DPWH-Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office Suspends Employees Over Ghost Projects
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has announced the immediate implementation of the Ombudsman's order for the preventive suspension of 16 employees from the DPWH-Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office. The order was issued by Acting Ombudsman Dante Vargas and is effective from September 18, 2025.
The suspension order includes Jaime R. Hernandez, OIC-chief of another Maintenance Section, John Michael E. Ramos, chief of the Construction Section, Lorenzo A. Pagtalunan, OIC-chief of the Maintenance Section, Floralyn Y. Simbulan, chief of the Administrative Section, and Christina Mae D. Pineda, Cashier II.
Additionally, Norberto L. Santos, chief of the Quality Assurance and Hydrology Section, and Roberto A. Roque, head of the Budget Unit, are also part of the suspension order. The project engineers Paul Jayson F. Duya, Merg Jaron C. Laus, Lemuel Ephraim C. Roque, Arjay S. Domasig, John Carlo C. Rivera, John Benex S. Francisco, and Jolo Mari V. Tayao are also included.
The decision comes after graft complaints were filed against 20 district engineers and four private contractors by the DPWH and the Commission on Audit on September 11. The complaints were in relation to anomalous flood control projects in Bulacan.
According to previous reports, the suspended employees were allegedly involved in a scheme where they rented out licenses of a qualified contractor to carry out ghost projects. This practice has been a significant concern in the Bulacan first engineering district, which Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson previously tagged as the most notorious for ghost, incomplete, and substandard projects.
It is worth noting that former Bulacan first assistant district engineers Brice Ericson Hernandez and Construction Section chief Jaypee Mendoza have admitted to handing in ghost projects in Bulacan. The others who were not covered by the Ombudsman suspension order have already been dismissed from the service.
Ernesto C. Galang, chief of the Planning and Design Section, is also included in the suspension order, but the specific details of his involvement have not been disclosed.
The private contractors implicated in the graft complaints were not previously mentioned in the earlier bullet points. The specific details of the scheme used for the ghost projects were also not mentioned in the provided information.
The DPWH, under the leadership of Secretary Vince Dizon, has vowed to address these issues and uphold the integrity of the department. The department is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the matter to ensure accountability and transparency.
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