Staff: Alcantara got at least P5 billion ‘kickbacks’ for delivery to ‘proponents’

MANILA, Philippines — State witness and former Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Henry Alcantara received at least P5 billion worth of alleged kickbacks from contractors intended to be delivered to project proponents.

A witness testified about this at the Sandiganbayan Third Division on Tuesday.

Alcantara’s staff Carlo Rivera made the revelation before the anti-graft court during the bail hearing of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez stemming from alleged kickbacks worth P7.44 billion.

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Rivera said the P5 billion figure was the 25 percent “commitment” or kickback from Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects in Bulacan from 2022 to 2025.

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According to him, the biggest amount of project was P14.1 billion in 2024, followed by P12.9 billion (2023), P7.3 billion (2025), and P519 million (2022).

Rivera said he personally contacted contractors to coordinate and confirm the deliveries of the commitments to Alcantara’s office.

He also said the 25 percent of the deliveries were brought to proponents, including former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, also an co-accused in this plunder case.

Aside from Co, Rivera said the alleged project proponents in their list include state witness and former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, former Sen. Bong Revilla, and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

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READ: Witness: Co’s kickbacks had ‘receipts’ — that were later ‘thrown away’

Estrada and Revilla face plunder and malversation cases before this anti-graft court over alleged kickbacks. 

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The identity of the proponents, Rivera said, was only relayed to him by Alcantara. /apl

READ: DPWH exec: Private citizens can legally act as project proponents