Henry Alcantara maintains innocence amid flood control probe

Former Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara has claimed innocence amid allegations of disloyalty to the country and grave misconduct in connection with the flood control mess. 

In a statement issued by his lawyers on Saturday, Alcantara denied being the "kingpin" of ghost flood control projects in Bulacan.

“Engr. Alcantara maintains his innocence: he did not author these alleged ghost projects. Any wrongdoing was done behind his back, without his knowledge, acquiescence, or approval,” the statement read.

“Engr. Alcantara will contest every accusation that he had supposedly participated in and/or benefitted from any unlawful scheme,” it added.

Alcantara also gave his commitment to continue cooperating with the investigations into the flood control projects.

“We are confident that in due time, the truth will surface and Engr. Alcantara will be cleared of the baseless accusations levied against him,” it said.

In a decision dated September 4, Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon dismissed Alcantara from the service for disloyalty to the republic, grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

On Tuesday, Alcantara admitted during the House investigation that he issued a certificate of completion on the P55 million flood control project in Baliwag, Bulacan, which turned out to be a ghost project, and that he used a fake ID to enter casinos.

During his stint as first district engineer, Alcantara handled 13 localities in Bulacan, including the flood-prone ones such as Hagonoy, Baliwag, Calumpit, and Malolos. 

His office then had the largest project cost among the implementing offices of the DPWH. It has 450 flood control projects with a total cost of P28.9 billion from 2022 to 2025, according to data at the Sumbong ng Pangulo website. — VBL, GMA Integrated News