Three former Bicol DPWH officials indicted

By Manuel T. Ugalde

LEGAZPI CITY --- Three incumbent public works officials who previously held key positions in Bicol have been indicted by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) for their alleged involvement in the large-scale corruption scandal involving ghost flood-control projects.

The officials were identified as Engr. Danilo Villa, Engr. Gene Ryan Altea, and Engr. Gerald Pacanan.

Villa and Altea earlier served as district engineer and assistant district engineer, respectively, of the Albay 2nd District Engineering Office, while Pacanan previously held the post of assistant regional director during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III.

Villa is now the DPWH regional director for Region 7, Altea is the incumbent Bureau of Maintenance director, and Pacanan currently serves as assistant regional director for Region IV-B, where ghost flood-control projects were uncovered in Oriental Mindoro.

Public works records show that Altea, a Bicolano from Albay, is a nephew of the late Undersecretary for Finance Joelo Alea. Villa is from Laguna, while Pacanan hails from the Ilocos region and is the son of former DPWH Undersecretary Jaime Pacanan.

Except for Villa, both Pacanan and Altea have surrendered to police following the issuance of arrest warrants by the Sandiganbayan covering the first batch of 17 personalities implicated in the ghost and substandard flood-control projects in Oriental Mindoro.

Reports said that of the 17 individuals ordered arrested, eight have surrendered, while four have already fled the country. Former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Rizaldy Co, who is among those ordered arrested, has reportedly remained abroad for health reasons even before the case was filed before the Office of the Ombudsman. Ombudsman Crispin Remulla earlier disclosed that more DPWH officials, senators, and congressmen may be jailed before December 15.

A source clarified, however, that Director Villa has not yet been formally indicted before the Sandiganbayan. He is currently undergoing a lifestyle check by the ICI as part of the ongoing probe in Region 7, where Cebu provinces—despite receiving billions in funding for flood-control projects—sustained severe damage during Typhoon Tino.

On Saturday, November 22, 2025, Daraga police led by Col. Edgar Azotea attempted to serve the Sandiganbayan arrest warrant on Altea in connection with his stint as Region IV-B assistant regional director. He was not found at his residence when officers arrived.

Aside from the DPWH officials, five officers of Sunwest Construction and Development Corp. are also included in the arrest orders. The Albay police reported that Sunwest board director Noel Y. Cao could not be located at his registered address in Guinobatan, Albay.

Sources also disclosed that Villa, who resides in Legazpi City, was married to a sister of the late AKB congressman Rodel Batocabe, who was murdered a decade ago. Villa is reportedly known as a prominent cockfight derby aficionado during his tenure in Albay. He has allegedly acquired the Legazpi Galleria for ₱200 million.