Former Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara has been dismissed from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) after admitting he signed completion certificates for infrastructure projects that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. later revealed to be non-existent.
DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon announced the dismissal during an inspection of a flood control project in Barangay Sipat, Plaridel, Bulacan on Thursday, September 4.
“He is now dismissed. I will call for the summary dismissal of Henry Alcantara,” Dizon said, adding that he will also recommend the filing of criminal charges against the former official.
Dizon further disclosed that the dismissals of District Engineer Brice Hernandez and Assistant District Engineer Jaypee Mendoza are underway, with cases set to be filed against them as well.
Alcantara came under national scrutiny after Senator Panfilo Lacson named him in his August 20 privilege speech on alleged “ghost” flood control projects of the DPWH. Lacson’s office later revealed that some Bulacan DPWH officials lost hundreds of millions of pesos in casinos, using fake names to hide their identities.
In congressional hearings, Alcantara admitted frequenting casinos, saying he lost around ₱100,000 and used a false ID to conceal his identity despite public officials being banned from gambling establishments.
