Flood control project restitution: Alcantara returns P71M to government

Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan District Engineer Henry Alcantara on Friday returned over P71 million to the national government as part of the restitution process on the flood control scandal.

Alcantara turned over the portion of the P300 million unlawfully obtained money to the Department of Justice (DOJ) amid his application to the Witness Protection Program (WPP).

This brings Alcantara's returned amount to around P181 million after he handed back P110 million to the government in November.

"There is still a balance of P119 million from the total P300 million that Mr. Alcantara committed to return,"  Prosecutor General Richard "Dong" Fadullon told reporters in a media briefing.

"Now, if the question is when or what is expected as far as the balance is concerned, over time we will definitely make sure na kung ano nakalagay sa memorandum of agreement na amount na isosoli ay maisoli sa takdang panahon," he added.

The Land Bank of the Philippines has already validated the money that Alcantara previously returned to the DOJ, according to Fadullon. It is also now back in the nation's coffers.

"Nabanggit na namin  ito nung nakaraan...hindi nangangahulugan na isoli mo lahat ng kailangn irestitue agad-agad dahil kailangan natin unawaain na mayroon silang accounts na included in the freeze order by Court of Appeals," said the DOJ official.

(We said this before. If you committed to return money for restitution, it is okay if you cannot return it at once. We need to understand that some of their accounts are under a freeze order by the CA.)

"It will take a while before we may be able to take the money," he said.

The DOJ last week said Alcantara is expected to return more than P200 million to the government as restitution.

Restitution is among the conditions for the accused in flood control fund corruption to be considered for the DOJ’s WPP.

Alcantara, along with former DPWH officials Roberto Bernardo, Brice Hernandez, and Jaypee Mendoza, is currently considered a “protected witness". They are under “provisional acceptance” to the WPP. —NB, GMA Integrated News