Henry Alcantara not recanting flood control testimony —lawyer

The camp of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara on Tuesday denied reports that he recanted his testimony on anomalous flood control projects. 

In a statement, Atty. Emil Joven, legal counsel for Alcantara, said that the claims are “false and misleading.”

“In short, Engr. Alcantara is not recanting his prior statements,” he said.

This came amid allegations that Alcantara has recanted his testimony following a report that he filed his counter-affidavit denying involvement in the kickback scheme over anomalous flood control projects.

Alcantara, along with former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and former regional director Gerard Opulencia, are under provisional acceptance to the Department of Justice’s Witness Protection Program (WPP).

Joven said Alcantara entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the DOJ as a prerequisite for his admission to the program.

“Engr. Alcantara remains pledged to fulfilling his obligations under the MOA to assist authorities in the pursuit of truth and accountability,” he said.

Justice spokesperson Polo Martinez previously said that the DOJ has not received any affidavit from Alcantara retracting his previous statements.

He also stressed that “there is nothing provided in the counter-affidavits that he [Alcantara] retracted any of his previous statements.”

Meanwhile, Alcantara visited the DOJ earlier on Tuesday for a matter with the WPP, according to Martinez.

Martinez, however, declined to give further details, citing confidentiality in the proceedings.

When asked about the allegations, Alcantara merely shook his head.

In September 2025, Alcantara admitted that he issued a certification of completion for the P55-million flood control project in Baliwag, Bulacan which turned out to be a ghost project.

However, he later denied involvement in ghost flood control projects, stating that former assistant engineer Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza were behind those operations.

Alcantara has returned around P181 million to the DOJ as part of the restitution process on the flood control scandal. —KG, GMA Integrated News