Former Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara on Tuesday broke his silence, naming several lawmakers and a former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) official in the alleged misuse of billions of pesos in flood control funds.
At the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Alcantara pointed to former DPWH Undersecretary Robert Bernardo as his superior in what he described as anomalous schemes. He claimed Bernardo informed him of budget insertions in the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) worth ₱300 million, allegedly intended for former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
“According to Undersecretary Bernardo, the [GAA] insertions in 2024 amounting to P300 million, he told me were for Sen. Bong Revilla, who at that time was running for senator for 2025,” Alcantara testified.
He also linked Senator Joel Villanueva to questionable allocations, recounting how a ₱1.5 billion request for a multipurpose building in 2022 was partially granted. When only ₱600 million was approved, Alcantara said Bernardo pushed for an alternative arrangement.
“Senator Joel did not ask for a specific project or percentage, but Undersecretary Bernardo ordered that he instead be given a project equivalent to 25 percent or ₱150 million with a designated proponent,” Alcantara said.
Alcantara narrated how he delivered the ₱150 million to a rest house in Bulacan, handing it over to a Villanueva aide named Peng.
“I told Peng to give it to the boss. It’s just some aid for his future plans. They did not know that it came from a flood control project,” he added.
The former engineer further claimed Villanueva later received ₱600 million in unprogrammed appropriations in 2023, which were all flood control projects. He stressed that Villanueva, to his knowledge, did not want such projects.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada was also mentioned. Alcantara said that during the 2024 budget hearing, Bernardo asked him whether he wanted to add more projects since “there was still ₱355 million available,” supposedly for Estrada. He clarified, however, that he never dealt with Estrada directly.
Alcantara also implicated Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, saying they met in 2021 at Shangri-La Bonifacio, where Co allegedly discussed plans to funnel funds into Alcantara’s district. By 2022, flood control projects worth ₱519 million appeared in the GAA, eventually ballooning to over ₱35 billion across four years, with Co as the proponent.
