A regional engineer from the Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was arrested last weekend for allegedly attempting to bribe a young, newly elected, and very wealthy new member of the House of Representatives with an amount as high as 360 million pesos.

 A regional engineer from the Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was arrested last weekend for allegedly attempting to bribe a young, newly elected, and very wealthy new member of the House of Representatives with an amount as high as 360 million pesos.

According to the "Babbler" column on the Bilyonaryo website, the engineer's goal was to prevent investigations into corruption in flood control and other infrastructure projects within his jurisdiction.

It is alleged that the engineer personally went to the congressman's office and proposed a bribe of 5% to 10% of the 3.6 billion peso project budget for 2025, which total to between 180 million and 360 million pesos, with an exchange for the congressman stopping the investigation into false projects and substandard construction.

Furthermore, the engineer suggested that for the 2026 budget, a kickback of 15% to 20% could be given, claiming that some contractors were also willing to provide additional "profit sharing."

He even stated that this practice was the DPWH's "Standard Operating Procedure."

During a meeting, the engineer brought 3.6 million pesos in cash and promised to provide an additional 15 million pesos the next day.

He believed the congressman had agreed to accept the bribe, but in reality, it was an entrapment operation, and he was immediately arrested on the spot by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The police seized a bag full of bribe money from him, as well as a list of ongoing DPWH projects.

Currently, the regional engineer is in police custody, and the provincial prosecutor's office is preparing to file formal charges against him.