In Thursday’s Senate hearing, former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo said that he, on behalf of Senator Chiz Escudero, delivered about P160 million to Maynard Ngu. Described as a close friend of Escudero, Ngu’s career spans both business and politics.

Ngu attended De La Salle University for his undergraduate degree. In 2009, he founded Cosmic Technologies, the developer and manufacturer of Cherry Mobile, which experienced significant growth and diversification under Ngu’s leadership throughout the 2010s. In 2023, he was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as Special Envoy of the President to the People’s Republic of China for trade, investments, and tourism.

Ngu’s ties to Escudero go back to 2019, when Escudero’s wife, Heart Evangelista, released a series of products under her birth name in partnership with Ngu’s Cherry Mobile. Ngu is also reportedly a part-owner of Luxelle PH, where Evangelista is a prominent celebrity endorser. His wife, Michelle Cinco Ngu, serves as Luxelle’s COO.

Ngu is also co-owner of Cork Wine Bar in BGC, the same venue where Escudero and Evangelista held their wedding vow renewal reception last year. According to Bernardo, it was at this bar where Escudero allegedly finalized the P160 million kickback deal for infrastructure projects, accusations Escudero has vehemently denied.

Bernardo testified under oath that he was asked by Ngu to submit a list of projects, part of which allegedly included P800 million worth of government projects from which Escudero received a 20 percent kickback.

Ngu has yet to comment on the allegations.