“Di kamukha nila Brice Hernandez at nila Alcantara.”
This was Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon’s comment as he offered a job to civil engineer Dave Recososa, whose father gained attention for offering free jeepney rides after Dave passed the licensure examinations.
Dave, who was among the 4,268 individuals who passed the Civil Engineers Licensure Examinations last November. His achievement caught the attention of the DPWH chief, who encouraged new graduates to join his agency and contribute to the country’s infrastructure projects.
According to reports, Dave offered a position at the Davao Regional Office of the DPWH. He is part of the recruitment wave filling over 2,000 nationwide vacancies in the agency.
“Maganda ‘yung pagpasok mo, kasi, marami tayong gagawin next year,” Dizon said in a press conference.
“Ang importante, kailangan natin ng, fresh blood ba… ‘yung mga bago, hindi ng kamukha nila Brice Hernandez, nila [Henry] Alcantara,” he added, referring to two former DPWH officials involved in the flood control corruption scandal.
Laughter could also be heard in the background as people recognized the names.
“Kailangan natin magbago,” Dizon said.
“Fresh talent is key to the projects we have next year,” the DPWH chief said, commending Dave and his father, Edwin Recososa, for their dedication and hard work.
Dave’s father, Edwin, previously went viral after a commuter shared his story of giving free jeepney rides to celebrate his son passing the Civil Engineer Licensure Exams.
Edwin has been a jeepney driver for nearly 35 years, motivated by the hope of providing a better life for his child. He also shared that he had once dreamed of becoming an engineer himself but was unable to pursue his studies.
“Sa kanya ko na lang ibinigay lahat,” the patriarch said in an interview.
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Brice and Henry
Meanwhile, during the press conference, Dizon referred to two former DPWH officials who appeared in Congressional hearings exposing alleged corruption in some of the country’s flood control projects.
Brice Hernandez, former assistant district engineer of the DPWH–Bulacan First District Engineering Office, was implicated in 29 fraud audit reports on anomalous flood control projects, including “ghost” projects, overpriced structures, mismatched sites and misuse of contractor licenses. State auditors said the projects under his supervision were “paid in full” despite not being physically implemented.
Henry Alcantara, a former district engineer at DPWH-Bulacan, on the other hand, admitted certifying flood control projects worth millions of pesos as complete even though they did not exist. He was also identified as the alleged mastermind behind a scheme that allowed lawmakers to receive billions of pesos in kickbacks from these projects.
In a sworn statement, Hernandez and former DPWH project engineer Jaypee Mendoza said that Alcantara “chose contractors, dictated percentage cuts and turned legitimate flood control budgets into structured kickbacks.”
The flood control corruption scandal implicated several former DPWH officials, government contractors and lawmakers who were accused of profiting from these projects through kickback schemes.
The accusations also include poor-quality construction work, “ghost” projects reported as completed but either unfinished or never built, and contractors with questionable histories continuing to win bids.
The issue drew national attention after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. addressed it in his fourth State of the Nation Address, highlighting corruption linked to flood control infrastructure.
