A former district engineer of Bulacan admitted negligence in flood control projects, saying he approved documents without personally inspecting the works later flagged by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Henry Alcantara, who previously served as district engineer of Bulacan’s first district, made the admission during a House Committee on Infrastructure hearing. He said shortcomings in his supervision should hold him accountable for the substandard projects.
The projects included a reinforced concrete river wall in Baliuag, Bulacan, and flood mitigation structures in Calumpit. Both were built by SYMS Construction Trading and Wawao Builders. Marcos personally inspected the works and found them unsatisfactory, prompting questions about DPWH oversight.
Alcantara told lawmakers he relied too heavily on his staff and signed documents based on their endorsements. He admitted he approved final payments and certificates of completion without verifying the projects himself.
“I only signed based on the papers given to me,” Alcantara said, adding that his trust in subordinates led to his failure to personally assess the projects’ quality.
While acknowledging responsibility, Alcantara also expressed anger over the deficiencies uncovered by Marcos. He maintained that, despite his lapses, he did not expect the extent of the problems reported by the president.
