Henry Alcantara cited in contempt over 'lying' about flood control projects

The Senate blue ribbon committee on Thursday cited former Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara in contempt for lying amid his insistence that he had nothing to do with the ghost flood control projects in Bulacan.

Senator Erwin Tulfo put forward the motion, saying it is unbelievable that Alcantara would not know about the ghost projects in his jurisdiction when he is the chief of the DPWH District Engineering Office there.

“Dalawang hearing na itong nagsisinungaling. Sa mga taong nasa baba, lahat may kasalanan, ikaw wala. District engineer ka, hindi mo alam na may ghost projects. Wala ka rin alam, lumubo 'yung budget mo. Hindi ba dumadaan sa lamesa mo 'yan na lumaki 'yung pondo mo?” Tulfo said.

(He has been lying for two hearings already, saying his subordinates are at fault and that he is innocent. He is the District Engineer and he does not know about this? And he is not aware that funding for these projects ballooned? These matters pass through his desk in the first place.)

To which Alcantara replied, “Your Honor, kami naman po pag lumalabas po sa GAA, ini-implement lang po namin 'yung project. Actually po ‘yung sinasabi ko po sa ghost project, talaga po wala akong alam diyan.”

This reasoning, however, was dismissed by Tulfo.

“Mr. Chair, that is unacceptable. And therefore, I move that we cite this person in contempt for lying before this committee,” Tulfo said.

Earlier in the hearing, the committee also cited in contempt contractor Pacifico "Curlee" Discaya II for lying about the absence of his wife, Sarah, in the hearing. 

As a result of being cited in contempt, Discaya and Alcantara will be detained and turned over to the custody of the Senate and Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms.

Senator Raffy Tulfo made the motion and it was seconded by committee members. —AOL, GMA Integrated News