Ex-DPWH exec Alcantara surrenders P110 million to DOJ

MANILA, Philippines — The government has secured the first restitution of public funds from the flood control scam, as dismissed Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office (DEO) engineer Henry Alcantara yesterday turned over a total of P110 million in cash he admitted to have illegally amassed from flood control projects.

“This is a portion of the agreed restitution amount… This is part of the P300-million committed amount for restitution (by Alcantara),” Department of Justice acting Secretary Fredderick Vida told the media after the ceremonial turnover of the cash by Alcantara, represented by his lawyer Emil Joven.

Also present were representatives from Land Bank of the Philippines and the Bureau of Treasury (BTr).

Vida said the cash will undergo authenticity verification by the Landbank before it will be remitted to the BTr.

He said Alcantara committed to return to the government a total of P300 million in illegally amassed wealth from the flood control project anomalies, an amount reached by DOJ investigators based the engineer’s own sworn testimonies about kickbacks or commissions he received from the flood control projects implemented by the DPWH 1st DEO.

Vida said Alcantara asked for additional time to return the rest of the amount, as the latter was finding it hard to gather the money while detained at the Senate.

The restitution came as Vida announced that Alcantara, as well as former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, are now provisionally admitted to the DOJ’s Witness Protection Program (WPP).

Vida said Bernardo has committed to initially return P7 million out of around P1 billion he had allegedly illegally obtained from the scam.

He said Bernardo’s frozen bank accounts are “under process” by the Anti-Money Laundering Council so that their cash balances can be turned over to the government.

Vida said the DOJ had executed a memorandum of agreement with both Alcantara and Bernardo, in connection with their provisional admission to the WPP.

Among the conditions in the MOA is their restitution to the government of their illegally amassed wealth and that they will “tell all” that they know in connection with the flood control anomalies once they are utilized as state witnesses during the prosecution of cases in court.

Vida, meanwhile, clarified that Alcantara and Bernardo’s provisional admission to the WPP does not mean blanket immunity from suit in connection with more flood control cases that might be filed by the Office of the Ombudsman and DOJ in court.

He said their immunity only covers the flood control project transactions they admitted to have knowledge of, involvement in and admitted to have received kickbacks, which they must restitute.

Meanwhile, Vida said the DOJ is still evaluating the Witness Protection Program applications of dismissed DPWH Bulacan 1st DEO assistant district engineer Bryce Hernandez, contractor couple Curlee and Sara Discaya and other possible state witnesses.

BOC lowers price

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) announced that it will significantly reduce the floor price of luxury cars formerly owned by the Discayas, after the initial bidding failed to draw offers.?With the goal to invite more participants in the bidding, BOC’s deputy chief of staff Chris Bendijo said the agency will adjust the floor price of cars.

The remaining luxury vehicles are scheduled for a second auction in December.

No arrest

Over a hundred police officers and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation failed to arrest three executives of Sunwest Inc. implicated in the alleged P289.5-million substandard flood control project in Oriental Mindoro during a raid in a hotel in Pasay yesterday.

Armed with an arrest warrant from the Sandiganbayan, operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the NBI searched the Midas Hotel along Roxas Boulevard for Consuelo Aldon, Anthony Ngo and Noel Cao, but were not able to find them.

Co's air assets

President Marcos has ordered the Department of Transportation and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to coordinate with their counterparts in Malaysia and Singapore to recover Zaldy Co’s air assets, believed to be hidden in those countries.

In a video message released on Friday, Marcos said the aircraft were registered under Misibis Aviation and Development Corp., a company owned by Co.

The President said the air assets are covered by the freeze order issued by the AMLC.

CAAP confirmed that it has formally coordinated with their Malaysia and Singapore counterparts regarding the two AgustaWestland helicopters covered by the order which are currently in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, and for the Gulfstream aircraft which is in Singapore.

Probe concluded

Meanwhile, three out of the five flood control cases being investigated by the DOJ have been submitted for resolution, the agency said yesterday.

“The remaining two are scheduled for another hearing on Dec. 5, 2025 pending the further submission of counter-affidavits by the additional respondents,” DOJ spokesman Raphael Niccolo Martinez said in a statement.

Yesterday, the DOJ panel of investigators held their third preliminary investigation hearing of five flood control projects implemented by the DPWH Bulacan 1st DEO, particularly in the municipalities of Balagtas and Pandi. — Marco Luis Beech, Emmanuel Tupas, Helen Flores, Rudy Santos