Almost there

The revelations of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Roberto Bernardo have brought the flood control scandal to the doorstep of Malacañang.

Bernardo alleged that Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin sought a 15-percent commitment fee from the projects, which the Palace official, of course, denied.

“The imputation is not true,” Bersamin said. Still, skepticism persists, weighing on the administration.

Another significant testimony was that of Orly Regala Guteza, a retired Philippine Marine and former security consultant for Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co, who said he delivered suitcases filled with cash, referred to euphemistically as “basura” (trash), to the residences of Co and former House speaker Martin Romualdez.

Guteza claimed these deliveries were part of a routine operation involving millions of pesos in alleged kickbacks from anomalous infrastructure projects, particularly those overseen by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Guteza detailed a systematic process in which cash was counted, packed into high-end Rimowa luggage with each suitcase reportedly containing around P48 million, marked on a Post-it note, transported from Co’s properties, and then distributed.

The former Marine said the deliveries were made by Co’s security personnel who were rotated — the close-in, backup, and advance teams — to prevent familiarity and detection, with deliveries occurring more frequently than his personal involvement suggested.

Guteza personally made deliveries at least three times to both Co’s and Romualdez’s residences. Overall, the team delivered “basura” three times a week from December 2024 until Guteza’s resignation in August 2025.

What was not pursued was the revelation that Guteza also delivered money to Malacañang, to the Aguado Residence near Gate 4 that is reportedly owned by Romualdez.

.The 46 suitcases would have contained approximately P2.208 billion — or P48 million multiplied by 46 suitcases. Of these, 35 bags went to Romualdez (P1.68 billion) and 11 stayed with Co (P528 million). Scaled across weekly deliveries, this would have been billions over months.

The suitcases were loaded onto vehicles at Co’s Valle Verde 6 residence in Pasig City, according to Guteza.

These were delivered first to Co’s 56th-floor unit at Horizon Residences in Taguig (BGC), where they were unloaded in the basement and received by Co’s aides, John Paul Estrada and Mark Tecsay.

A portion was then redistributed, from 35 to 46 suitcases, for Romualdez, after “reductions” in the share.

According to Guteza, final drop-offs used unmarked vehicles for security.

The primary drop-off location was at 42 McKinley Road in Forbes Park, Makati, which Romualdez claimed was unoccupied having been under renovation since January 2024.

Additional sites included 19 Narra Avenue (Forbes Park, formerly owned by Chinese businessman Michael Yang) and the Aguado Residence at the Malacañang compound.

Guteza said he came forward to expose the “vast and coordinated operation.”

In a statement, Romualdez called Guteza’s testimony a “complete fabrication” and a “desperate attempt” to link him to nonexistent kickbacks. He noted his McKinley Road home has been under renovation and unoccupied since January 2024, making deliveries impossible.

Romualdez, who resigned the speakership earlier in September amid the scandal, denied any involvement in budget anomalies.

The denials notwithstanding, the scandal is inching closer to the center of power, spelling trouble for the administration.