Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez on Tuesday backed the testimony of ex-Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara during a Senate hearing on irregularities in flood control projects.
Hernandez told senators that Alcantara’s account was accurate and aligned with his own knowledge, though he noted some names were not mentioned. He said he could not disclose those names for fear of facing libel charges.
Senator Bam Aquino said the testimonies of Alcantara and Hernandez would be consolidated for review by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure.
Aquino then shifted the discussion to the Philippine Competition Commission, asking for updates on possible penalties against contractors involved in alleged bid rigging.
Lawyer Christian Delos Santos, Director of the PCC Competition Enforcement Office, confirmed the agency has begun a preliminary inquiry into contractors named in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings.
“The next step right now is to gather evidence: the bid documents and possible communication exchanges between them,” he said.
Delos Santos added that testimonies given before the Blue Ribbon Committee could be used as evidence in the PCC’s probe.
He explained that fines for bid rigging have been adjusted to a maximum of P110 million per offense for first violations and up to P250 million for subsequent ones.
Aquino noted that multiple contracts could push penalties into the billions, a point Delos Santos affirmed.
The PCC lawyer clarified that while contractors are the main targets of the investigation, public officials who facilitated rigging could also face charges. He said the PCC, which has quasi-judicial powers, is empowered to pursue the cases independently.
The commission has already requested documents from the DPWH, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and other agencies to study corporate structures and identify individuals involved.
Delos Santos said the law requires a 90-day period for the preliminary investigation, but the timeline could vary depending on the complexity of the schemes.
He added that substantial evidence, including testimonies from the hearings, would be sufficient to proceed with cases.
Aquino urged the PCC to expedite its work and assured the public that multiple cases would be pursued against contractors and complicit officials.
“The other day, it was named as the trillion-peso march because the country has lost about a trillion pesos. So, if we can recover even part of it, that would already mean a lot. It’s important that we get that money back. I hope the PCC, as it was created, can truly pursue these cases,” Aquino said.
