One of the top contractors that cornered the majority of flood control deals is allegedly behind several non-existent projects, particularly in Bulacan province, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada revealed today.
At the first hearing of the Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon) on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, Estrada named the contractor as Wawao Builders.
“My office received reports that there are ghost projects in the municipalities of Calumpit, Malolos, and Hagonoy in the Province of Bulacan. This is the information we have received. And the contractor, allegedly, is Wawao Builders and SYMS Contractor,” Estrada said, as he elicited an admission from Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan regarding the alleged involvement of Wawao Builders in ghost projects.
Bonoan confirmed this, stating that of the more than ₱9 billion worth of projects secured by Wawao Builders nationwide, 85 projects were in Bulacan, amounting to ₱5.971 billion, and that “some seem to be ghost projects.”
Wawao Builders is among the Top 15 contractors named by President Marcos that received the bulk of the government’s flood control projects over the years. From 2022 to 2025, Wawao reportedly completed 58 flood control projects worth ₱4.2 billion, according to the website www.sumbongsapangulo.ph.
SYMS Construction, on the other hand, supposedly completed 16 projects totaling ₱931.2 million over the past three years.
A check on the DPWH records showed Wawao Builders is owned by a certain Mark Allan Arevalo while SYMS Construction is a sole proprietorship owned by one Sally Nicolas Santos.
Pressed by Estrada on demanding accountability, Bonoan assured the Senate leader that they will file the necessary charges against all those involved in the implementation of the ghost projects.
“Anybody who is involved in the implementation of that kind of project has to be answerable,” Bonoan was quoted as saying.
Bulacan province, along with Metro Manila and the provinces Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Oriental Mindoro, and Ilocos Norte, is included in the most-flood prone provinces based on the National Adaptation Plan of the Philippines (2023 to 2050).