Alcantara: P213-M 'commitment fees' given to Estrada

The Department of Public Works and Highways gave at least P213 million worth of “commitment fee” to Senator Jinggoy Estrada who is a proponent of P855 million worth of projects in two DPWH Bulacan District offices, state witness and former DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office District (DEO) Engineer Henry Alcantara said.

Alcantara made the testimony during the bail hearing of Estrada, who is facing a P573 million plunder charge over his alleged involvement in the flood control budget kickback scheme.

Alcantara said that based on the information given to him by fellow state witness and former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo.

Estrada got a 25% commitment fee as the proponent of P355 million worth of projects in Bulacan First District DEO and another P500 million worth of projects in Bulacan Third District DEO.

Alcantara then said that Estrada got P88 million commitment fee from P355 million for projects in Bulacan First DEO and another P125 million commitment fee from P500 million for Bulacan Third DEO, and that these commitment fees were delivered by his staff to the staff of Bernardo in Diamond Hotel in one go.

Alcantara said he only knew of Estrada being a proponent of P500 million worth of projects in DPWH Bulacan Third District DEO when Bernardo informed him to collect Estrada’s commitment fee for such so the commitment fees for the two DPWH Bulacan offices can be delivered in one batch.

“For this particular amount of P355 million, this is only senator Estrada. Alcantara said when asked by the defense counsel as to the proponent of the said projects.

“P88 million was [set to be] delivered [to Diamond Hotel for Estrada] for P355 million. It was Usec Bernardo who told me to collect [the commitment for] P500 million, na isabay na iyong sa Bulacan Third DEO [na commitment fee] para isang bagsakan,” Alcantara told the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division.

“Lahat ng perang kinolekta ko binigay ko kay Usec Bernardo,” Alcantara added.

(All the commitment fees I have collected, I gave them all to Usec Bernardo.)

Alcantara said the delivery to Diamond Hotel happened in the second quarter of 2025.

Alcantara, however, said he never personally dealt with Estrada and was only talking to Bernardo in terms of submitting project lists and collecting commitment fees. —VAL, GMA News