DoJ: No affidavit, recantation from Alcantara

DoJ: No affidavit, recantation from Alcantara | Daily Tribune

The Department of Justice (DoJ) denied on Saturday that it has received any affidavit or formal statement from former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineer Henry Alcantara retracting his earlier testimony, amid claims circulating that he had supposedly recanted.

DoJ spokesperson Assistant Secretary Polo Martinez said the department has neither received nor reviewed any affidavit from Alcantara withdrawing his previous statements.

“For the record, the DoJ has not received or reviewed any affidavit from Henry Alcantara retracting his previous statements. There has been no official recantation by Alcantara, whether written or verbal,” Martinez said.

Martinez issued the clarification as questions surfaced following developments involving Alcantara, who had earlier admitted his role in the alleged multi-billion peso flood control corruption scandal and was identified as one of the so-called “BGC Boys.”

Recent claims suggested a possible reversal of his earlier admissions.

Martinez said Alcantara’s supposed counter-affidavit filed before prosecutors asserted, he had no involvement in any kickback scheme or ghost projects, a position that appears to depart from his previous statements related to the case.

Martinez said that as of Saturday, no written or verbal recantation has been officially communicated to the DoJ.

He added that any retraction of statements must be formally submitted and evaluated through proper legal channels before it can be given weight in the proceedings.

The flood control scandal, dubbed “Floodgate,” erupted in 2025 after Senate and media reports flagged alleged anomalies in DPWH flood mitigation projects, including accusations of ghost, substandard or overpriced works that were repeatedly funded despite persistent flooding in affected areas.

Central to the controversy were several DPWH engineers publicly linked to questionable flood control allocations and casino transactions.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson alleged that funds meant for flood control were siphoned through kickbacks and laundered through casinos, with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation data reportedly showing the group losing about P950 million in gambling.

The scandal widened into a political storm, drawing accusations that lawmakers inserted or protected questionable projects in the budget process.

Reports implicated members of Congress and other officials, triggering calls for prosecution and asset freezes.

Critics and political opponents also sought to link President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the scandal on the ground that the national budget, including DPWH allocations, ultimately requires presidential approval.

Marcos, for his part, backed probes and the administration later cut DPWH’s proposed 2026 budget after the scandal broke.