When Dong Gonzales was Pampanga rep, children bagged P900-M in DPWH deals

The construction firm owned by the children of former Pampanga lawmaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. bagged almost P1 billion in public works contracts in his province — while he was in office, Rappler has found.

A.D. Gonzales Jr. Construction and Trading Company Incorporated, named after the family patriarch himself, won a total of four flood control projects from 2023 to 2024, based on data available on the online tracker of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The Constitution and various laws prohibit conflict of interest among public officials, but none explicitly stops firms owned by immediate family members from winning government contracts. One budget expert whom Rappler spoke with, however, still flagged Gonzales’ situation.

Gonzales, a civil engineer who represented the 3rd District of Pampanga, is a veteran legislator who has served five non-consecutive terms in Congress, including three straight ones from 2016 to 2025.

He had been deputy speaker of the House of Representatives under the leadership of Martin Romualdez, who considers the Pampanga congressman a close ally.

Rappler reached out to Gonzales’ camp for comment, the latest being Saturday, August 30, but we have yet to receive a statement on record. We will update this story when they respond.

What and where the projects are

The said projects are as follows:

Three of the four projects mentioned above — the ones from 2023 — are all in the Sumbong sa Pangulo website, the administration’s online tracker for flood control projects. All three are listed under Pampanga’s third congressional district. The areas where the four projects are located — San Fernando City and the towns of Bacolor and Mexico — were Gonzales’ constituencies when he was a congressman.

The funds, totaling P913 million, were sourced through DPWH’s Central Luzon office.

In 2023, Gonzales and his children were the subject of a graft complaint because of three of the four mentioned flood control projects.

Terence Napao, then the barangay captain of Sto. Cristo, Mexico filed with the Ombudsman a complaint alleging that Gonzales’ family violated the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as well as the Possession of Prohibited Interest by a Public Officer under Article 216 of the Revised Penal Code.

Gonzales declined to comment on the complaint at the time, according to an Inquirer report.

Who owns A.D. Gonzales Construction

The former congressman is listed as an incorporator of A.D. Gonzales Construction, which was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1993.

It is not immediately clear when he divested from the company, but the company’s General Information Sheet (GIS) submitted to the SEC for the last quarter of 2024 lists his children as co-owners and key officers of the firm.

As of that period, Aurelio Brenz P. Gonzales, who was also city councilor in San Fernando, owned 60% of the firm and was its president. In 2025, Gonzales’ son won the vice mayoral race in the city.

Another son, Aurelio M. Gonzales III, was the vice president of the company, while Aurelio Michaeline M. Gonzales was secretary and treasurer. These two children of Gonzales each own 19% of the business.

A.D. Gonzales Construction has a paid-up capital of P168 million and, as of end-2024, has total assets worth P239 million.

The firm has a triple A license — valid until 2026 — from the Philippine Contractors Association Board, which allows it to undertake large and complex projects with contract costs above P450 million. This license rating means the company has met the minimum net worth of P180 million, and has completed a single project valued at above P225 million.

Conflict of interest?

Republic Act. No. 6173, which provides the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, states that conflict of interest arises “when a public official or employee is a member of a board, an officer, or a substantial stockholder of a private corporation or owner or has a substantial interest in a business, and the interest of such corporation or business, or his rights or duties therein, may be opposed to or affected by the faithful performance of official duty.”

Former finance undersecretary and budget expert Cielo Magno believes Gonzales’ case exposes gaps in the law, specifically “on the direct prohibition of government officials and their relatives from entering into government contracts.”

“Public officials should divest themselves of any interest in these businesses. The same law, however, provides that divestment can be done ‘in favor of a person or persons other than his spouse and relatives as defined in this Act,’” Magno told Rappler.

“That his children own the company shows that he has not divested himself of his interests in these businesses,” she added.

Gonzales was congressman from 2007 to 2013. He gunned for a third term but lost to then-incumbent San Fernando City mayor Oscar Rodriguez. Gonzales prevailed in his rematch with Rodriguez in 2016.

He was deputy speaker under the House speakership of Alan Peter Cayetano in 2019, but was removed from the post two months after the latter was ousted via a coup by Lord Allan Velasco of Marinduque.

He regained the deputy speakership under the leadership of Romualdez in 2022.

After the House majority removed the senior deputy speakership title from Gloria Macapagal Arroyo over coup plot rumors in 2023, Gonzales replaced her.

For the remainder of his term, Gonzales had been a vocal defender of Romualdez and his policies.

He was succeeded in Congress by his daughter Mica Gonzales, who is currently deputy majority leader.

Rappler texted Gonzales via SMS and Viber for comment on Wednesday, August 27, and followed up daily until Saturday, August 30. As of posting time, he has not given us a statement we can publish. We also inquired via the Facebook page of Vice Mayor Brenz Gonzales beginning Wednesday and emailed the SEC-listed address of A.D. Gonzales Construction beginning Thursday, August 28, but there still has been no response. We will update this story once we receive their replies.

Rappler’s research on Gonzales comes amid renewed national conversation on politicians’ ties to government contractors. We have published stories on Congressmen Zaldy Co and Edwin Gardiola, among others. – Rappler.com