‘Kickbacks for Co, Bernardo increased under Romualdez’

MANILA, Philippines — Kickbacks for fugitive former congressman Zaldy Co and former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Roberto Bernardo from flood control projects rose from 20 percent to 25 percent when Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez was speaker of the House of Representatives, former DPWH district engineer Henry Alcantara revealed yesterday.

During the continuation of the hearing on Romualdez’s bail petition for his plunder case before the Sandiganbayan Third Division, Alcantara said Co determined the 20 percent kickback, which he referred to as “commitments,” during budget deliberations in 2022.

The percentage increased to 25 percent in 2023. Alcantara said he did not know why Co sought the increase.

Alcantara explained that he would contact either Co or Bernardo to request funding, with separate lists provided to each to avoid overlapping appropriations and double payment of the “commitments.”

The money came from “advance payments” made by around 12 private contractors who had allegedly been prearranged to win bidding processes conducted by the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office, which Alcantara previously headed.

The “commitments” were based on a list of projects sent directly to Co and Bernardo for inclusion in budget deliberations at the bicameral conference committee.

Alcantara said this differed from the “regular wishlist” prepared by district engineers for endorsement to the DPWH central office and subsequent inclusion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

During the redirect examination by prosecutors from the Office of the Ombudsman, Alcantara confirmed that the increase in the percentage began in 2022, when the NEP for the following year was being prepared and Romualdez was already House speaker.

Alcantara also said he would ask for a two percent share from the “commitments,” a request he described as “naglalambing” or a friendly appeal.

He recalled meeting Co around September 2021, when the latter was not yet chairman of the House committee on appropriations.

Around the same time, the first batch of up to three deliveries of “commitments” was made in storage boxes to Co’s two units on the 56th floor of Horizon Homes in Bonifacio Global City.

Subsequent deliveries were sent to Co’s house in the upscale Valle Verde village, this time in suitcases containing P30 million to P40 million each.

Alcantara added that Co would pay congressmen who proposed infrastructure projects included in the NEP because their names did not appear as project proponents.

During cross-examination, defense lawyers led by Thea Daep sought to establish that Romualdez was not House speaker when the deliveries took place.

Alcantara also admitted that his judicial affidavit and testimonies at other legislative hearings on the flood control scandal did not mention Romualdez.

Asked by Moreno who was the “most intelligent guy” behind the kickback scheme, Alcantara said: “I do not know who started it. When I was an Engineer II and project engineer, this had already been a practice. I do not know who came up with it.”