DPWH drivers bare delivery of multiple suitcases believed to contain cash

Suitcases reportedly containing tens of millions of pesos in cash were repeatedly delivered as part of an alleged kickback scheme linked to government flood control projects, according to a testimony before the Senate blue ribbon committee on Thursday.

DPWH drivers Andre Balatbat and Christian Santiago admitted to transporting multiple suitcases under orders from their superiors. Balatbat said he delivered between six to eight suitcases to a residence in Valle Verde, though he could not confirm who owned the property.

“Bale po isang beses lang po ako nakapag-deliver doon,” Balatbat told senators.

(I was only able to deliver there once.)

When asked by Senator Erwin Tulfo how many suitcases he brought, he replied:

“Sa pagkakatanda ko po, nasa 6 to 8 na maleta po.”

(From what I remember, around 6 to 8 suitcases.)

Balatbat said the delivery was made to a house in Valle Verde, but he could not confirm if it belonged to Congressman Zaldy Co, as alleged. He added that there was no receipt or acknowledgment provide during the delivery.

Christian Santiago, another driver, testified that he was involved in seven separate deliveries at a Phoenix Petroleum gas station along Dahlia Street in Fairview, where suitcases were transferred between vehicles.

“Doon po sa Dahlia po, 7 beses po,” Santiago said.

(At Dahlia, seven times.)

Each trip involved 8 to 10 suitcases, Santiago said, and these deliveries took place on different days — five in November and others in January and March.

The transactions reportedly involved suitcases being transferred from one vehicle to another, including one with the plate number NFI 6319. The drivers said they did not know the contents of the suitcases, but admitted that these handovers were part of their tasks.

During questioning, former Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara admitted that each suitcase typically contained P30 million to P40 million, and in rare cases up to P50 million.

“Normally po ang isang maleta nagre-range po mula P30 milyon hanggang P40 milyon… mayroong isa na umabot ng P50 milyon pero bihira,” Alcantara told the committee.

(Normally, one suitcase ranges from P30 million to P40 million… there was one that reached P50 million, but that’s rare.)

Alcantara further said the funds were “advances” from contractors, raising questions from senators about whether these represented kickbacks for public officials.

The Senate inquiry is investigating alleged irregularities in government flood control projects, including ghost and substandard works, contractor collusion, and a possible kickback network involving DPWH officials and lawmakers. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News