MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed multiple cases against former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, including former engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza, over the flood control mess.

According to the DOJ, the following cases are now pending with several Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) branches:

• Quezon City RTC Branch 79
  • Contractor: SYMS Trading
  • Charges: Section 3(e) of Republic Act (RA) No. 3019 or Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Malversation under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), and Falsification by Public Officer under Article 171 of the RPC
  • Accused: Brice Ericson Hernandez, Arjay Domasig, Jaypee Mendoza, Nino Lawrence Morales, Juanito Mendoza, Floralyn Simbulan, and Christina Mae Pineda
  • Date filed: January 30, 2026
  • Status: The accused were arraigned on March 5, and the pre-trial hearing is scheduled on April 13.

• Quezon City RTC Branch 79
  • Contractor: SYMS Trading
  • Charges: Section 3(e) of RA No. 3019 or Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Malversation under Article 217 of the RPC, and Falsification by Public Officer under Article 171 of the RPC
  • Accused: Hernandez, Domasig, Jaypee Mendoza, Morales, Juanito Mendoza, Simbulan, and Pineda
  • Date filed: February 9, 2026
  • Status: The accused were arraigned on March 15, and the pre-trial hearing is scheduled on April 13.

• Quezon City RTC Branch 8
  • Contractor: SYMS Trading
  • Charges: Section 3(e) of RA No. 3019, Malversation under Article 217, and Falsification by Public Officer under Article 183
  • Accused: Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza, Lemuel Ephraim Roque, Morales, Juanito Mendoza, Simbulan, Pineda, Ernesto Galang, Roberto Roque, John Michael Ramos, Norberto Santos, Irene Ontingco, Jaime Hernandez, Elcid Pangilinan, Nestor Caoile, Alberto Angelico Ignacio, Benedicto Vertudazo, Honiel De Guzman, and Nilo Hernandez
  • Date filed: February 13, 2026
  • Status: The accused were arraigned on March 11.

Former district engineer Henry Alcantara and SYMS contractor Sally Santos, meanwhile, were removed as respondents to the said cases because they became state witnesses. Apart from security, state witnesses like the two also enjoy immunity from cases.

DOJ spokesperson prosecutor Rafael Martinez told reporters that the three cases were filed with Bulacan courts. However, they were later transferred to Quezon City RTCs, which were designated as special courts for flood control corruption cases.

Corruption cases are typically filed with the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan, but RTCs may also handle such cases in certain conditions.

Under RA No. 10660, RTCs have jurisdiction over graft cases that do not indicate damage to the government or when the amount of damage is not more than P1 million. Also, graft cases against public officers with salary grades lower than Salary Grade 27 belong to the lower courts, based on Batas Pambansa Bilang 129 or the Judiciary Reorganization Act.

The cases against Hernandez, Mendoza, and others are the latest flood control charges to have reached the courts. Flood control cases now pending with tribunals include the cases of former Ako Bicol representative Zaldy Co filed last November, the cases against contractor Sarah Discaya and DPWH officials filed last December, and former senator Bong Revilla’s flood control cases filed last January.

Hernandez and Mendoza have been detained at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas since January, as they are also accused in Revilla’s malversation case pending with the Sandiganbayan. Malversation, unlike graft, is non-bailable.

DPWH engineers and their role

Alcantara and his former subordinates at DPWH Bulacan were among the biggest personalities in the flood control corruption that rocked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration. As district engineers, they had been accused of allegedly using their positions to get shares of billions of flood control funds.

During a series of legislative hearings at the Senate and House of Representatives, the former engineers revealed some of the schemes behind the alleged corruption and dropped the names of politicians allegedly involved in the mess.

For one, Alcantara confirmed in his sworn affidavit how insertions were made in the national budgets for 2022 to 2025. He said kickbacks were through the DPWH offices in Bulacan (1st and 2nd districts), Tarlac (1st and 2nd districts), and Pampanga 3rd District. He also named some officials, such as Revilla and incumbent senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, among others, as alleged beneficiaries of the DPWH kickbacks.

The former district engineer also confirmed before the Senate blue ribbon committee that he had allegedly delivered kickbacks for Co at his residence in Pasig and at a hotel parking area in Taguig.

Hernandez earlier alleged that Villanueva and Estrada received kickbacks. His former boss, Alcantara, also corroborated this testimony.

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The testimony of Santos, a contractor, is also essential to the prosecution’s case because she confirmed that the DPWH projects that went to her firm were actually in-house projects of engineers, adding that she only lent her license for these projects. – Rappler.com