Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has revealed a new alleged “moneymaking scheme” involving junior personnel at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Speaking before reporters, Lacson said his office received details showing contractors are burdened not only with regular commissions and so-called “obligations,” but also with additional costly requirements imposed by DPWH insiders.
According to the senator, these requirements carry fixed prices per page or per document. Among the items listed were:
- Technical notes at ₱10,000 per document or ₱2,000 per page.
- Planning and Design Section soft copies at ₱50,000, varying by region.
- Material testing reports priced at one percent of the contract cost, without receipts.
- Bid documents at ₱50,000, also region-dependent.
- Inspection charges at ₱5,000 for the inspector, plus ₱10,000 and ₱5,000 for each signatory.
- Final billing fees of ₱75,000 plus ₱5,000 for the project engineer.
- Quality assurance from the Central Office requiring ₱50,000, coordinated through district engineers.
- Construction Performance Evaluation System fees ranging from ₱50,000 to ₱200,000.
Lacson added that junior personnel may have been influenced by the example of district engineers who allegedly became wealthy through similar practices. Wanting to improve their own financial situations, they followed the same path, he said.
The revelations have sparked renewed concerns over corruption within the DPWH, a department long scrutinized for irregularities in project implementation and bidding processes.
Lacson emphasized that these practices, if left unchecked, would further erode public trust and increase project costs, ultimately affecting taxpayers.
