FORMER Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara directly implicated former House Committee on Appropriations chairman and Ako Bicol party-list Zaldy Co, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, Senator Joel Villanueva, former Senator Bong Revilla, former Caloocan 2nd district Rep. Mitch Cajayon-Uy, and former Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo in a multibillion-peso corruption scheme involving the government’s flood control projects.
Alcantara testified at the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, where he acknowledged deeply entrenched corruption in the DPWH involving his “boss,” Bernardo, and several politicians.
“In my affidavit, I will mention a lot of people, and I am begging their forgiveness, but I have to tell the truth. My only request from our good chairman [and] the Justice Secretary is that my family be protected,” the dismissed DPWH official said in Filipino.
Alcantara revealed that Co, founder of Sunwest Construction and Development Corp., inserted P35.24 billion worth of projects from 2022 to 2025.
His statements were later confirmed by his assistant, Brice Hernandez, who admitted that their team did not deliver quality infrastructure projects because of the “kickbacks” committed to corrupt politicians.
“I saw him [Co] in Shangri-La [hotel]. He was talking to Boss [Henry Alcantara]. [When] we delivered money, we were not met directly by Cong. Zaldy. We coursed it through his guy, Paul,” Hernandez told senators in Filipino.
“There were a lot of suitcases full of money… billions, I think. We loaded the suitcases up in six or seven vans when we delivered them. One suitcase had P50 million, and there were more than 20 suitcases,” he added at the interpellation of Senator Raffy Tulfo.
In turn, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recommended filing charges against key personalities in the massive corruption scheme.
“The recommendation of the NBI for prosecution and, probably, this is what AMLC followed, are as follows: Mr. Alcantara, Senator Joel Villanueva, Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, Congressman Elizaldy Co, former Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, and former Congresswoman Mich Cajayon [Uy]. The crimes committed were all specified in the sheet given by the NBI to us,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said during the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing.
He added they are also looking at the case of Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Mario Lipana and his spouse, who was among the contractors of flood control projects.
The recommended charges were a violation of Sec. 3 of R.A. No. 3019, indirect bribery (Article 211 of the Revised Penal Code) and malversation of public funds (Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code).
Remulla explained that the NBI was the investigating agency on the anomalies in flood control projects and recommended the appropriate charges.
He also confirmed that the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has already frozen the bank accounts of those linked to the scandal.
He said the freeze orders were issued after the DOJ filed the NBI’s complaint with the AMLC.
“We contacted the ALMC… and they already started acting on this because it is already a filed complaint with the DOJ. I believe the freeze orders have been issued already by the AMLC over the bank accounts of many people,” the Justice Secretary said.
As this developed, Villanueva, Estrada, Revilla, and Co separately denied Alcantara’s accusations.
“They just mentioned my name and implicated me in the flood control issue, even though the witness himself said that I don’t know anything. Is this just for the sake of saying something? I am ready, Mr. President, and my office is ready to be investigated so that the truth may come out, Villanueva said.
“I will not allow discredited narratives to be ‘weaponized’ for political grandstanding. I will not allow my honor, hard-earned and vindicated by the courts, to be sullied by careless remarks,” Estrada insisted
“I deny. I have nothing to do with it. I have nothing to do with any of that,” Revilla told reporters in a mixture of English and Filipino.
For his part, Co, who is reportedly abroad but whose whereabouts are currently unknown, managed to relay his denial.
“The allegations made against me during today’s Senate hearing are false and baseless. I reserve my right to respond to these allegations at the proper time before the proper forum,” he said.
Also during Tuesday’s hearing, tensions flared after Senator Rodante Marcoleta criticized Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson’s earlier description of Hernandez, a former assistant district engineer, as more credible than contractors Cezarah and Pacifico Discaya, who also sought state witness status.
“Why are we trying to prejudge this? We are still in the process of investigation. If we are in the process of investigation, we should not judge,” said Marcoleta.
“Why are you so protective of the Discayas?” Lacson responded.
Later, Marcoleta also sparred with Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla over the issue of restitution in the Witness Protection Program.
He insisted that the law does not require applicants to return alleged ill-gotten wealth before entering the program.
“They are saying I am siding with the Discayas. That is not true. From the beginning, I have been very consistent. I am only following the law,” Marcoleta insisted.
Remulla countered that while restitution is not written into the statute, the DOJ considers it essential for justice and accountability.
He said financial crimes could not be underestimated and that moral expectations demand restitution from those seeking protection.
