(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines — Former Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara on Tuesday confirmed massive corruption in Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects involving billions of pesos and linked several government officials including Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, Rep. Zaldy Co, and former senator Bong Revilla.
He said that the transactions were made under the direction of former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo.
In a detailed sworn statement submitted before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Alcantara said he first met Bernardo while they were both in Laguna. It was Bernardo who facilitated his appointment as district engineer in Bulacan in 2019 under then-DPWH Secretary Mark Villar. Alcantara testified that starting in 2022, Bernardo began directing project funds to Alcantara’s office, with 25 percent earmarked for project proponents, sometimes delivered through Alcantara or his driver.
In 2022, he said P350 million in projects were managed under this scheme, increasing to P710 million in 2023, with P450 million from the National Expenditure Program (NEP) and P260 million from the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Advance payments ranging from 5 to 15 percent were allegedly collected for proponents after net approval, while balances were paid after GAA release.
Alcantara said in 2024, total allocations reached P3.3 billion. By 2025, funds totaled P2.55 billion, again with 25 percent retained by proponents. Alcantara claimed he sometimes delivered the proponent share to Bernardo in discreet locations such as the Diamond Hotel parking lot.
In 2024, P300 million from GAA projects were allocated for three flood control structures in Bulacan. Bernardo allegedly instructed Alcantara to channel these funds for Revilla’s use, but Alcantara clarified that he never met the senator personally.
On Estrada, Alcantara testified that in 2024, he submitted a P355 million project list of flood-control pumping stations to Bernardo for Estrada. Alcantara stressed he had no direct contact with Estrada and that all transactions were coordinated through Bernardo.
Concerning Villanueva, Alcantara said in 2022, the senator requested a P1.5 billion multi-purpose building, of which only P600 million was funded. Because the original request could not be accommodated, Bernardo instructed Alcantara to redirect the allocation to flood control projects, with P150 million (25% proponent share) delivered to Villanueva’s intermediary, Langpong Peng, without Villanueva’s knowledge.
As for Co, Alcantara said he facilitated over 426 projects in Co’s district, with a combined value of at least P35.24 billion. Payments to Co were allegedly coordinated via intermediaries using Viber disappearing messages and sometimes delivered directly to Co’s residence in Pasig City.
