Henry Alcantara tags ex-DPWH Usec Bernardo, Villanueva, Estrada, Revilla, Co

Dismissed Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara on Tuesday admitted that he worked with Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo in giving commissions off flood control projects to the the camps of Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva , former senator Bong Revilla, Jr., Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, and former Caloocan representative Mitch Cajayon.

“Taong 2022 nagsimulang magbaba ng pondo sa aking DO (District Office) si Usec Bernardo, ang kasunduan ay 25% [ng proyekto] para sa proponent,” Alcantara told the Senate blue ribbon committee probe on the anomalous government flood control projects.  

(Usec Bernardo started giving my office these huge amounts of funds in 2022, and the agreement was to give a 25% cut to the proponents of the project.)

“Ang para sa proponent, 25% po at may advance ito na 5% to 15% na kalimitan ang hinihingi ni Usec Bernardo, kalimitang hinihingi matapos ang deliberasyon ng bicam(eral conference committee),” Alcantara said, referring to the panel composed of House and Senate members reconciling the differing versions of the proposed national budget.

(25% for the proponent, but Usec Bernardo usually asked for 5% to 15% as advance payment after the bicam deliberations.)

Alcantara said Bernardo gave DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office (DEO) P350 million worth of government projects in 2022, P710 million in 2023, and P3.3 billion in 2024.

Of the P3.3 billion in 2024, Alcantara said P2.85 billion were sourced from unprogrammed funds or budget items which are funded if there are excess tax collections and other special laws providing for its funding.

“Nung naipapababa na ‘yun (pera) sa aking DO, nagpatuloy ang 25% na bayad sa proponent ng mga proyektong ito na binibigay ko kay Usec Bernardo,” Alcantara said.

(The granting of a 25% cut to proponents happened based on the list of projects I gave to Usec Bernardo.)

Bong Revilla

Alcantara then said Bernardo asked him to set aside a P30 million cut for then Senator Bong Revilla for a P300 million project and even asked him to add project proponents given the huge allocation given to the DPWH Bulacan First District DEO.

“Sinabihan ako ni Usec Bernardo, kay Senator Bong ‘yan, baka gusto mo tumulong sa kanya. Dagdagan mo ang proponent, ikaw na bahala,” Alcantara said.

Alcantara, however, clarified he never communicated with Revilla.

“Never ko po nakakausap si Senator Bong Revilla. Never po,” he said.

Joel Villanueva

Alcantara also said that Villanueva asked DPWH to fund a P1.5 billion multi-purpose building in 2022, but they can only accommodate to grant P600 million of his request. As a result, Alcantara said himself and Bernardo found ways to make it up to Villanueva.

“Sa halagang P1.5 billion ay P600 million lamang ang napagbigyan ng pondo para sa multi-purpose building. Kaya napilitan kami gumawa ng paraan ni Usec Bernardo. Hindi humingi ng partikular na proyekto o porsyento si Senator Joel, pero inutos ni Usec Bernardo na bigyan na lamang ng proyekto na may katumbas na P150 million [na kumisyon] ang proponent (Villanueva),” Alcantara said.

“Dahil dito, nabigyan si Senator Joel ng proyekto under unprogrammed appropriations ng 2023 na nagkakahalaga ng P600 million na pawang mga flood control ng mga proyekto at kung saan, kung susumahin ang 25% para sa proponent ay halagang P150 million. Ang halagang P150 million, dinala ko sa rest house sa Brgy. Igulot, Bocaue, Bulacan, na iniwan ko po sa tao niya na nagngangalan lang pong Peng,” Alcantara said.

Further, Alcantara said, “Sinabi ko kay Peng na pakibigay na lang kay Boss, tulong lamang 'yan para sa future na plano niya. Hindi po nila alam na doon galing 'yun sa flood control. Matapos po na hindi na po kami nagkausap.”

Jinggoy Estrada

Alcantara then narrated that upon the request of Bernardo to identify another proponent since there are P355 million funds left, he identified Senator Estrada as a proponent for P355 million worth of Phase 3 of seven pumping stations with floodgates

“Kay Senator Jinggoy po...the proponent gets 25% of this [P355 million] at binigay ko po kay Usec Bernardo kasama ng iba pang proponent ng mga pondong binibigay niya sa akin para sa taong 2025. [Pero] wala po akong direktang transaksyon o direkta ng pakipagugnayan kay Senator Jinggoy,” Alcantara said.

Zaldy Co

Alcantara said he first met Co in Taguig City in September 2021, and that Co gave P519 million worth of projects for DPWH Bulacan First DEO’s implementation in 2022.

From 2022 to 2025, Alcantara said Co gave P24 billion to P35 billion worth of projects for DPWH Bulacan First DEO’s implementation, an amount that covered 426 infrastructure projects within that time frame.

“Sa bawat proyekto na pinapasok ni Cong Zaldy, meron akong binigay na obligasyon sa kanya base sa aming kasunduan. Noong 2022, ang kanilang hinihingi na budget sa bawat proyekto ay 20% lamang po. ‘Yun po yung 20% po na 2022 inaayos po namin doon sa litrato po na naipakita sa House investigation,” Alcantara said.

“Noong taong 2023 hanggang 2025, tumaas ang porsyento ng 25%,” he added.

Alcantara said there were times when he tasked a person to deliver the cut of Co, while there were instances he delivered it himself to Co’s representatives identified as Paul and Mark.

“Dahil sila po 'yung nag-message po sa akin through Viber, disappearing message po 'yun, na doon ko po dadalhin. May isa o dalawang beses na dinala ko sa parking lot ng hotel. Paminsan minsan, hinahatid ko ito sa kanyang bahay, sa Pasig City. Minsan po, inuutos ko lang po. Minsan po, ako po ang nagbababa.

Alcantara said Co also gave funding to other DPWH DEO in Bulacan 2, Tarlac 1, Tarlac 2, although these offices are not aware of Co’s hand since it was Alcantara who was talking to them.  

Mario Lipana

Alcantara’s also mentioned Commission on Audit commissioner Mario Lipana, whom, he said, asked him for a list of projects that can be funded by the DPWH. 

Alcantara said Lipana’s request was funded under the unprogrammed appropriations in 2023 at P500 million, 2024 at P400 million, and 2025 at P500 million.

Lipana’s links to government contracts earlier surfaced during the budget hearing in the House of Representatives since his wife owns a construction firm. 

“Wala akong personal knowledge kung paano nila nakuha ang pondo at kung sino ang kausap. Ang listahan ng mga proyektong na ipasok ni Commissioner Lipana ay nakalakip sa sinumpaang salaysay sa Annex po [ng affidavit ko],” Alcantara said.

Mitch Cajayon

As for former Caloocan Rep. Cajayon, Alcantara said she secured a P411 million funding for DPWH Bulacan First DEO’s implementation in 2022.

“May usapan kami na may gastos [para sa kanya] na 10% lang po. Hindi niya po pinakialaman 'yun. Sabi niya, bahala ka na kung sino man ang mananalong kontraktor riyan,” Alcantara said.

Former Bulacan First assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez corroborated the testimony of Alcantara.

“Opo. Actually, lahat ng dinedeliver niya, kami nga po ang nag-aayos ng pera nito kagaya nung nasabi ko sa mga unang hearing po natin,” Hernandez said during the questioning of Senator Bam Aquino.

Asked if he is corroborating his former boss, Hernandez replied, “Opo, your honor. Meron lang pong ilang ano pa, ilang taong na hindi niya nabanggit pero hindi ko po masabi 'yun kasi baka kasuhan rin ako ng libel.”

Denial

Speaking at the Senate plenary later in the day, Villanueva and Estrada both denied involvement in the controversy as alleged by Alcantara in his testimony on Tuesday. 

Villanueva reiterated that he is prepared to be investigated, insisting that he "has nothing to hide."

“I am ready, Mr. President, and my office is ready to be investigated so that the truth may come out. I am ready to prove that these allegations are wrong, malicious and pure lies,” the senator from Bulacan said.

Estrada, meanwhile, said he was ready to "dismantle the baseless lies" Alcantara said during the hearing "come hell or high water."

“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,” he added.

For his part, Revilla told reporters that he has "nothing to do with any of that," referring to Alcantara's allegations.

Co has also dismissed allegations at the Senate hearing today, Tuesday, as "false and baseless."

“I reserve my right to respond to these allegations at the proper time before the proper forum,” Co said.

Villanueva, Estrada, Co, and Cajayon ealier issued their respective denials on their involvement in the questionable flood control projects.

In a Facebook post on September 18, Cajayon said she does not know Alcantara and even former Bulacan 1st district assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez, who first mentioned her name. 

Villanueva and Estrada had even expressed willingness to sign waivers to have their bank accounts opened.  —AOL/ VDV/RF, GMA Integrated News