DISMISSED Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara tagged retired Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo in the irregularities in the infrastructure projects.
During the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation on the anomalous flood control projects on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, Alcantara said that in 2022, Bernardo started downloading funds to Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office (DEO) with an agreement of 25 percent commission for the proponent of each project.
He said he met Bernardo in 1997 when they both served at Laguna 2nd DEO. He said Bernardo helped him get promoted as the District Engineer of Bulacan 1st DEO in 2019.
Bernardo served as DPWH undersecretary for regional operations in the Visayas, National Capital Region and Mimaropa with overall supervision and control of all infrastructure projects.
In 2022, Alcantara said Bernardo funneled a total of P350 million to his office for six flood control projects in Baliuag, Plaridel, Pandi, Malolos City and Balagtas in Bulacan, in which 20 percent or P70 million collected by Bernardo.
For 2023, he said Bernardo downloaded P710 million to Bulacan 1st DEO, in which P450 million was part of the National Expenditures Program (NEP) while P260 million was from the General Appropriations Act (GAA), following insertions.
In the following year, 2024, Alcantara said Bernardo directed a total of P3.3 billion budget to Bulacan 1st DEO, in which P150 million was part of the NEP, P300 million from the GAA, and P2.85 billion from the unprogrammed appropriations.
A total of P2.550 billion was allocated for Bulacan 1st DEO projects in 2025, in which P1.650 million was placed under the NEP, and P900 million under the GAA.
He provided the details of all the projects in his written affidavit, which was submitted to the Department of Justice for evaluation.
“Ang kasunduan ay 25 percent ang para sa proponent. May advance payment ito na five to 15 percent na kalimitang hinihingi ni Usec. Bernardo kapag ganap na ang NEP base sa pagdinig sa kamara de representante,” he said.
(The agreement was that 25 percent would go to the proponent. This included an advance payment of five to 15 percent, which Undersecretary Bernardo usually requested once the NEP was finalized based on the hearing in the House of Representatives.)
“Samantalang ang pondo sa Bicam ay may advance payment din na five to 10 percent na kalimitang hinihingi matapos ang deliberasyon ng Bicam at ang balanse ay babayaran nang buo paglabas ng GAA kung saan ang mga insertions ay maaaring makumpirma,” he added.
(Meanwhile, the Bicam funds also had an advance payment of five to 10 percent, which was usually requested after the Bicam deliberations, with the balance to be paid in full upon the release of the GAA, where the insertions could be confirmed.)
Alcantara said he would usually instruct his driver to deliver the funds to Bernardo at the parking lot of a hotel along Roxas Boulevard in Manila.
In the same year, he said he increased the proponent rate of a P300 million project from 25 percent to 30 percent to help the senatorial campaign of former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla.
“Ayon kay Usec Bernardo, ang GAA insertions noong 2024 na nagkakahalaga ng P300 million ay para kay Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. na noon ay kumakandito bilang senador para sa 2025 senatorial elections. Sinabihan ako ni Usec Bernardo na ‘Henry kay Sen Bong yan, baka gusto mo tumulong sa kanya, e dagdagan mo ang proponent ikaw na bahala',” said Alcantara.
(According to Undersecretary Bernardo, the 2024 GAA insertions worth P300 million were intended for Senator Ramon 'Bong' Revilla Jr., who at that time was running for the 2025 senatorial elections. Usec. Bernardo told me, ‘Henry, that’s for Sen. Bong. If you want to help him, you can increase the proponent’s share — it’s up to you.’)
“Sinabi ko po kay Usec Bernardo na ‘Sige po boss wala po problema!' Kaya po imbes na 25 percent ay naging 30 percent ang naging proponent ng nasabing mga proyekto bilang tulong ko na din sa kandidatura ni Sen. Bong Revilla,” he added.
(I told Undersecretary Bernardo, ‘Alright, boss, no problem!’ So instead of 25 percent, the proponent’s share for those projects became 30 percent as my way of helping in Senator Bong Revilla’s candidacy.)
Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Senator Panfilo Lacson said Bernardo vowed to attend the panel’s next hearing to shed light on the matter.
Alcantara, however, reiterated having no direct links with Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, who, according to dismissed Bulacan 1st district assistant engineer Brice Hernandez, were among those receiving kickbacks from infrastructure projects in Bulacan.
He said in 2022, Villanueva asked the DPWH for a P1.5 billion worth of project for a multipurpose building but only P600 million was granted.
He said Villanueva was not happy about it, forcing Bernardo to look for other ways to grant the lawmaker’s demand.
“Hindi humingi ng partikular na proyekto o porsyento si Sen. Joel pero iniutos ni Usec. Bernardo na bigyan na lamang ng proyekto na may katumbas na P150 million na proponent itong si Sen Joel. Dahil dito nabigyan si Sen. Joel ng proyekto sa Unprogrammed Appropriations noong 2023 na nagkakahalaga ng P600 million na pawang mga flood control na mga proyekto at kung susumahin sa 25 percent na proponent ay may halaga na P150 million,” said Alcantara.
(Senator Joel did not ask for any specific project or percentage, but Undersecretary Bernardo instructed that he be given a project equivalent to P150 million as his proponent share. Because of this, Senator Joel was allotted a project under the Unprogrammed Appropriations in 2023 amounting to P600 million, all of which were flood control projects. At a 25 percent proponent share, this amounted to P150 million.)
“Hindi alam ni Sen. Joel na flood control ang mga proyektong nailaan sa kanya dahil sa aking pagkakaalam ay ayaw ni Sen. Joel ng mga proyektong flood control,” he added.
(Senator Joel did not know that the projects allotted to him were flood control projects because, to my knowledge, he does not want flood control projects.)
Alcantara said he delivered cash worth P150 million in a resthouse in Bocaue, Bulacan and left it with the senator’s employee.
“Sinabi ko kay Peng na pakibigay nalang kay Boss (Sen. Joel), tulong lamang iyon para sa future na plano niya. Pero hindi po nila alam na doon galing iyon sa flood control. Matapos po noon ay hindi na kami muling nag-usap,” he said.
(I told Peng to just give it to Boss (Senator Joel), saying it was only to help with his future plans. But they did not know that it came from flood control funds. After that, we never spoke again.)
During the budget hearing in 2024, Alcantara said Bernardo asked him if he has more projects that need funding since Estrada still has P355 million available.
He said he submitted the list to Bernardo and the funding came out in the 2025 GAA.
He said he gave the 25 percent commission of the proponent to Bernardo, maintaining that he has no direct transaction with Estrada.
Alcantara also tagged Caloocan Second District Representative Mary Mitzi “Mitch” Cajayon-Uy in the scheme involving infrastructure budget.
He said in 2022, Uy was able to insert P411 million in the GAA that was downloaded to Bulacan 1st DEO.
“May usapan kami na ang gastos ay 10 percent. Ito ay ibinigay ko sa kanya sa isang restaurant sa Commonwealth Avenue, QC,” said Alcantara.
(We had an agreement that the cost would be 10 percent. I handed it over to him at a restaurant on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.) (TPM/SunStar Philippines)