Another former lawmaker may once again face corruption charges.
Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara, in a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation, alleged that he had worked with former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo to set aside a “commission” supposedly for former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
“Taong 2022 nagsimulang magbaba ng pondo sa aking DO (District Office) si Usec Bernardo, ang kasunduan ay 25% [ng proyekto] para sa proponent,” Alcantara testified.
He added, “Ang para sa proponent, 25% po at may advance ito na 5% to 15% na kalimitan ang hinihingi ni Usec Bernardo, kalimitang hinihingi matapos ang deliberasyon ng bicam(eral conference committee).”
According to Alcantara, Bernardo instructed him to set aside ₱30 million as Revilla’s share in a ₱300 million project. He further claimed that Bernardo pushed to increase allocations for project proponents because of the large budget earmarked for the DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office.
“Sinabihan ako ni Usec Bernardo, kay Senator Bong (Revilla) ‘yan, baka gusto mo tumulong sa kaniya. Dagdagan mo ang proponent, ikaw na bahala,” Alcantara recounted.
However, Alcantara clarified that he never personally communicated with Revilla: “Never ko po nakakausap si Senator Bong Revilla. Never po,” he stressed.
Aside from Revilla, Alcantara also implicated Senator Joel Villanueva, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and former Caloocan City Representative Mitch Cajayon-Uy.
Revilla has yet to release a statement in response to the allegations.
It will be recalled that both Revilla and Estrada previously faced graft, corruption, and plunder charges linked to the misuse of their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which led to their detention. Revilla was acquitted in 2018, while Estrada was cleared earlier this year.