Isabelo Baleros, District Engineer of the Las Piñas–Muntinlupa District Engineering Office (LPM DEO) (left) and Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos
LAS Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos has called for the immediate removal of a controversial district engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) over alleged involvement in questionable, multi-million-peso flood control and infrastructure projects in the city.
Santos named Isabelo Baleros, District Engineer of the Las Piñas–Muntinlupa District Engineering Office (LPM DEO), as being linked to reported anomalous transactions involving irregular fund transfers, questionable project prioritization, and a blatant disregard for coordination with local government officials.
“Infrastructure funds are meant to protect lives and property—not to be quietly moved around without accountability,” Santos stressed.
The revelations come in the wake of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 4th State of the Nation Address, where the President slammed officials behind substandard or even “ghost” flood-control projects, especially after recent typhoons caused massive destruction across the country.
Marcos has since ordered the DPWH to submit a list of all flood-control projects initiated or completed in the past three years.
At the center of the controversy is the ₱140-million C5 Diversion Road project in Barangay Manuyo Dos—the single largest allocation from the ₱450.5 million total budget for Las Piñas infrastructure this year.
According to Santos, on June 9, 2025, Baleros wrote to DPWH–NCR Assistant Regional Director Montrexis Tamayo requesting that the implementing agency for several Las Piñas projects be transferred from his district office to the DPWH Regional Office–NCR.
Santos said this request was quietly approved by DPWH Assistant Secretary for Regional Operations Loreta Malaluan and confirmed by DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan on July 15, 2025—without any consultation with the Office of the Mayor, the Office of the Congressional Representative, the City Engineering Office, or the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
“This is a glaring act of bypassing local governance. How can you move hundreds of millions of pesos without informing the elected officials of the city? This reek of backroom maneuvering,” Santos declared.
The lawmaker pointed out that before any fund transfers occurred, no visible progress or even initial work had been made on the C5 Diversion Road or the majority of the 27 projects listed under the FY 2025 General Appropriations Act (RA 12116).
“The people of Las Piñas are asking: Was there even a single project completed before the funds were shifted? Or is this about moving money to where it can be controlled by a select few?” Santos asked.
Santos also noted that Baleros’ rise in DPWH has been marked by close political ties. Appointed as Officer-in-Charge in October 2021 and formally installed as District Engineer in December 2022.
Baleros has been frequently photographed at DPWH events alongside Malaluan and high-profile political figures from Las Piñas, including former DPWH Secretary and now Senator Mark Villar.
The congressman revealed that he has formally demanded a written explanation from Baleros regarding the rapid transfer of project implementation to another agency. To date, Santos said, the district engineer has ignored the request.
“The silence is telling. If there is nothing to hide, then there should be no reason to avoid answering. But the people of Las Piñas deserve transparency, not evasion,” Santos concluded.
