MANILA, Philippines — A whistleblower in the alleged Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) flood control scam in Bulacan admitted before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee that casino personnel themselves provided false identification cards to allow him and several government engineers to enter and gamble in casinos despite the existing ban on public officials.
Brice Hernandez made the admission under questioning by Sen. Raffy Tulfo, who pressed him on how he was able to enter a certain casino when civil servants were prohibited from such establishments. Hernandez said a man identified as Archibald “Mike” Torregosa, who supposedly worked inside the casino, facilitated the issuance of fake IDs.
“They wanted us to play, so they made the way for us to get IDs. We had no control over it,” Hernandez testified, adding that the card he carried bore the fictitious name Marvin de Guzman. Tulfo presented the ID during the hearing, to which Hernandez confirmed its authenticity.
Hernandez said several colleagues also received falsified casino IDs arranged by Torregosa, namely District Engineer Henry Alcantara, Engineers JP Mendoza, RJ Domasig, Justin Nuevo, Edric Santiago, Paul Duya, and Lester Castro. He added that Lauren Cruz introduced him and other DPWH personnel to Torregosa.
The whistleblower further admitted that casino winnings were shared. He confirmed giving a portion of his winnings or “balato” to Alcantara and acknowledged that gambling funds often came from Alcantara, though he claimed ignorance of whether public funds were being used.
The revelations alarmed senators, who pointed out that casinos themselves could be held liable if they knowingly abetted prohibited activities by producing fake IDs for government workers. Tulfo said the disclosure showed how corruption extended beyond infrastructure projects and into the personal lifestyles of those involved.
