Flood control projects: What Henry Alcantara, Roberto Bernardo revealed

Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and ex-DPWH Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara—-both key figures in the flood control controversy—are now state witnesses and admitted into the Witness Protection Program (WPP).

What were their revelations about the flood control scandal since the investigations began five months ago?

Henry Alcantara

Alcantara’s name was first floated in the privilege speech of Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson in August 2025, where the senator said that Bulacan was the “most notorious” province when it comes to questionable flood control projects, and that a “well-organized syndicate” was behind the scheme. 

During the first few hearings of the Senate blue ribbon committee, Alcantara admitted to gambling in casinos several times a month along with his former Bulacan assistant district engineer, Brice Hernandez.

At the House of Representatives’ own probe, Alcantara said 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.

The former DPWH official also signed two more contracts for two other questioned flood control projects in Bulacan—one with Sarah Discaya's St. Timothy Construction Corporation, and one with Wawao Builders.

He, however, denied involvement in ghost flood control projects, stating that Hernandez and another former DPWH engineer, Jaypee Mendoza, were behind those operations.

Alcantara admitted to using, and awarding projects to, in-house contractors but said that he never told them to do ghost projects.

He also said that he had ordered to look into possible ghost projects the moment President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. revealed the presence of anomalous flood control projects during his 2025 State of the Nation Address.

Alcantara also said that he worked with Bernardo in giving commissions off flood control projects to the the camps of Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, former senator Bong Revilla, Jr., former Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co, and former Caloocan Representative Mitch Cajayon. The politicians tagged have denied the allegations.

He said Bernardo gave the DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office 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 was sourced from unprogrammed funds, or budget items that are funded if there are excess tax collections and other special laws providing for its funding.

After the evaluation of Alcantara’s testimony, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recommended the filing of charges against these individuals, except for Revilla.

Roberto Bernardo

Bernardo has admitted that he was complicit in anomalies in certain flood control projects.

He specifically tagged Revilla and former senator Nancy Binay, as well as Co and Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero, amid the investigation into anomalous and ghost flood control projects. The allegation was also denied by the individuals implicated. 

 Bernardo said that their involvement was “seriously undermining public trust in two out of three branches of the government and a constitutional body thereby posing a significant threat to our national security as it may lead to political instability which may weaken the ability of the government to function effectively.”

He also claimed that an alleged delivery of P160 million worth of commissions off infrastructure projects for Escudero happened in the first quarter of 2025. 

Escudero, in return, said that he would sue Bernardo for what he described as “malicious allegations and innuendos” made against him. 

Bernardo also implicated more individuals, including ex-DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, as among those who allegedly received kickbacks in infrastructure projects.

Late last year, Alcantara returned around P181 million to the national government as part of the restitution process.

Bernardo also returned an initial P35 million to the government on January 13 for his restitution, according to Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon.

This is part of the P1 billion he is set to return under the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the DOJ.

Alcantara and Bernardo were previously considered “protected witnesses” and were under “provisional acceptance” to the WPP.

Also included in the provisional acceptance were Hernandez and Mendoza, but the Department of Justice (DOJ) said it currently “sees no need” to admit them to the program. — BM, GMA Integrated News