MANILA — Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson accused the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) of turning into a “playground for criminal syndicates,” citing fresh reports of anomalous flood control projects involving its district engineering offices nationwide.

Lacson said district engineers have been colluding with contractors to use borrowed licenses for projects, with irregularities even reaching the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board.

“The DPWH has become a playground for syndicates,” Lacson said in an interview over DZRH radio, noting that the alleged schemes are not limited to Bulacan but also happen in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, and other provinces.

In his August 20 privilege speech, Lacson bared corruption in failed and ghost flood control projects in Pampanga, La Union, and Oriental Mindoro. He also pointed to “fly-by-night” contractors such as Darcy and Anna Builders, which reportedly secured multiple contracts in Bulacan.

Lacson lamented that lawmakers pushing for questionable insertions in the national budget remain unscathed because of the opaque budget process. He said their role as “funders” of anomalous projects cannot be traced due to the lack of transparency.

“This greed is what fueled the corruption in the 2025 General Appropriations Act,” Lacson said, stressing that the DPWH budget exceeded that of the education sector in violation of the Constitution. He added that funding for PhilHealth was even removed to make way for infrastructure allocations.

“For the first time, I heard of the regular budget being realigned to the unprogrammed fund,” he said. “Next thing we know, they may target the automatic appropriations.”

Lacson reaffirmed his call for full transparency in the budget process so lawmakers who propose questionable amendments or realignments can be held accountable for anomalous or non-existent projects.