P279-million Bulacan flood control projects flagged as ‘ghost’ or relocated — COA
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Audit (COA) has uncovered widespread irregularities in four flood control projects in Bulacan worth more than P279 million, citing “ghost" structures, unauthorized relocations and documentation lapses.
In four Fraud Audit Reports filed with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), COA said the projects, implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)–Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office, were "found to contain serious and recurring signs of misuse of public funds."
These were awarded to Wawao Builders and SYMS Construction & Trading.
COA said its inspection teams, supported by satellite imagery and fraud audit procedures, found that several structures reported as “100% complete” were either missing or located outside approved project sites.
In some cases, auditors found structures that had existed years before the contracts were awarded.
Particularly, COA flagged four major issues:
- Ghost projects — No flood-mitigation or slope-protection structures were found at approved locations despite full payment.
- Unauthorized relocation — DPWH representatives brought auditors to alternative sites without documentation or written authority.
- Payments for pre-existing structures — Some riverbank walls had been built long before the questioned projects, raising concerns that government funds paid for infrastructure already in place.
- Major documentation gaps — Missing Statements of Work Accomplished, absent as-built plans, and unsubstantiated site changes undermined project legitimacy.
COA chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba ordered the fraud audit in August 2025 following public outcry over “ghost” flood control projects in the province from July 2022 to May 2025. He said the new findings reinforce COA’s push for accountability.
"These findings reinforce our commitment to holding negligent public officials and private contractors accountable for compromised infrastructure spending," Cordoba said in a statement.
"Our audit aims to ensure that every peso is allocated to genuine, functioning infrastructure that effectively protects vulnerable communities from flooding," he added.
Flagged projects, liable individuals
Below are the COA-identified flood control projects in Bulacan and the officials and contractors linked to the alleged irregularities:
1. P77.2-million flood mitigation project, Brgy. San Nicolas, Hagonoy
- Awarded to Wawao Builders
- No structure was found at the approved site. Satellite images confirmed its absence.
- Liable individuals: Engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Ericson Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza, Ernesto Galang, Paul Jayson Duya, Jolo Mari Tayao, Mark Lester Castro, John Michael Ramos and Mark Allan Arevalo.
2. P74.2-million riverbank protection project, Brgy. Iba, Hagonoy
- Also awarded to Wawao Builders
- Structure seen during inspection appeared part of an older, continuous wall funded by other contracts.
- Liable individuals: Engineers Alcantara, Hernandez, Mendoza, Galang, Duya, Tayao, Lemuel Ephraim Roque, Sheena Bernadette Morales and Arevalo.
3. P96.5-million flood control project, Guiguinto River (Malis Section)
- By Wawao Builders
- Historical satellite images showed a structure already existed years before the contract.
- Liable individuals: Engineers Alcantara, Hernandez, Galang, Ramos, Tayao, Duya and Arevalo.
4. P49.5-million project in Sta. Barbara and Tiaong, Baliuag
- Joint venture: Wawao Builders and SYMS Construction
- No structure was found at the approved site despite reported completion.
- Liable individuals: Engineers Alcantara, Hernandez, Mendoza, Galang, Rafaelito Marcelo, Arevalo and Sally Santos.
COA said the individuals may face charges for graft and corruption, malversation and falsification of documents, in addition to administrative violations under COA Circular 2009-001.
"COA continues to heed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s call for transparency. The public can expect additional reports to be submitted to the ICI as the agency's audit investigation continues," the agency said.
Earlier COA audits
COA has been flagging successive waves of irregularities in Bulacan flood-control projects amounting to hundreds of millions of pesos. The findings stem from special audits ordered in August 2025 covering works implemented between July 2022 and May 2025 under the DPWH Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office.
In mid-September, COA and DPWH jointly filed their first fraud audit reports with the Office of the Ombudsman, revealing nearly P390 million in alleged “ghost” projects.
Four cases involved contractors such as Wawao Builders and joint ventures with Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc., where structures were either missing, still underway despite full payment, or built on mismatched sites that lacked required approvals under RA 9184.
A month later, COA submitted more reports to the ICI, flagging an additional P309 million to P351 million in questionable or substandard works.
Firms like SYMS Construction Trading, Topnotch Catalyst Builders and Triple 8 Construction were linked to fully paid projects in Baliuag, Pulilan and Plaridel that were nonexistent, relocated without documentation, or constructed with exposed steel bars and improper materials.
The P279 million worth of projects cited in the latest batch, including works in Hagonoy, Guiguinto and Baliuag by Wawao Builders and SYMS, represent COA’s newest submissions to ICI.
The cases repeat patterns seen in earlier reports and involve recurring engineers such as Henry Alcantara and Brice Ericson Hernandez.
To date, COA has filed at least 17 fraud audit reports before various oversight bodies, with possible charges ranging from graft and malversation to falsification of public documents.
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