Lacson: Blue Ribbon to tackle Alcantara ‘retraction’ Jan. 19
Former Public Works officials who recant their sworn statements in ongoing investigations into flood control ghost project scandals face perjury charges and prison sentences of up to 12 years, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson warned Sunday.
Lacson said the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will take up the supposed retraction of ex-DPWH official Henry Alcantara when it meets on January 19.
On Friday, former Public Works engineer Henry Alcantara reportedly retracted his earlier statements on his involvement in the flood control project anomalies, according to the lawyer of Senator Joel Villanueva, who has been implicated in the scandal.
But the Department of Justice later said it has yet to receive or review any official written or verbal recantation from Alcantara, who has appeared before the Senate Blue Ribbon panel.
Personalities such as former congressman Elizaldy Co, former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, former Education Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar, and businessman Meynard Ngu are slated to be served subpoenas to the hearing, Lacson added.
“If they recant, they may be liable for violating the law on perjury, Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code as amended by RA (Republic Act) 11594, which raises the penalty for perjury to up to 12 years,” he said.
“This is aside from a penalty of P1 million and perpetual absolute disqualification if the offender is a government official,” the senator added.
On the subpoenas, Lacson said: “Olaivar and company were invited but did not show up. We already subpoenaed them. If they still won’t show up, we can issue warrants for their arrest.”
Ramon Esguerra, lead counsel for Senator Villanueva, said Alcantara has filed a counter-affidavit, arguing there is insufficient evidence to support the allegations against him.
Despite the seeming recantations, Lacson said these will not weaken the ongoing probes against those involved in the anomalous government projects.
He noted that circumstantial and documentary evidence has already been presented in prior hearings linking some lawmakers and personalities to the scandal.
“Their statements are not standalone evidence. The case won’t die or collapse on the basis of their recantation,” said Lacson.
The senator pointed out that the Justice Department is already investigating the case, while the Anti-Money Laundering Council has begun freezing bank accounts of implicated individuals.
In September, Alcantara disclosed during a Senate hearing the budget insertions and alleged kickbacks involving Villanueva and Senator Jinggoy Estrada, former senator Bong Revilla Jr., and resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.
Alcantara and fellow former DPWH Bulacan engineer Brice Hernandez have also surrendered money and vehicles to the government, which Lacson called an admission of guilt.
The engineer previously told the Senate that flood control project proponents get as much as 25 to 30 percent of the proposed insertions.
Alcantara has since turned over a total of P110 million in cash that he admitted to illegally obtaining from flood control projects.
But Alcantara’s supposed affidavit reads: “There is no evidence that I favored any contractor, employee, or individual. There is no witness that states I approved irregular payments or instructed preparation of falsified reports. In this case, no witness has testified that I facilitated any payouts.”
“The counter-affidavit of Henry Alcantara, he submitted also last Monday (January 5), says a lot. Number 1, just to be quick about this, he says that Engineers (Brice) Hernandez and (Jaypee) Mendoza are the ones responsible for the execution of flood control projects,” Esguerra said.
“And two, he was not the one directly overseeing the day-to-day operations of the projects, again pointing to the two Engineers Hernandez and Mendoza,” the lawyer said in a television interview.
“Moreover, and this is very telling as far as we are concerned, according to him, there has been no witness that he facilitated any payout… he is in effect negating, virtually negating, what he said that he did the payout,” Esguerra added.
