Cases involving former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. and six former officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways over the alleged P92.8-million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan were raffled off Monday to the Third and Fourth Divisions of the Sandiganbayan.
The anti-graft court conducted a special raffle for the cases filed against Revilla and six others: former DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office (DEO) assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez; former DPWH Bulacan First DEO engineers Jaypee Mendoza, Arjay Domasig, and Emelita Juat; former DPWH Bulacan First DEO finance section chief Juanito Mendoza; and cashier Christina Pineda.
The Sandiganbayan Third Division is chaired by Associate Justice Karl Miranda, with Associate Justices Ronald Moreno and Fritz delos Santos as members.
The Fourth Division, meanwhile, is chaired by Associate Justice Michael Musngi, with Associate Justices Arthur Malabaguio and Ermin Ernest Miguel as members.
Prosecutors alleged that the respondents conspired to facilitate the release of about P76 million for the supposed construction of a flood control project in Purok 5, Barangay Bunsuran, Pandi, Bulacan. However, based on official inspections and witness accounts, the project was never implemented.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Friday that despite the absence of any actual construction, the respondents declared the project completed and facilitated the release of the full project cost.
Clavano said the respondents falsified accomplishment reports, issued fraudulent billing documents, and endorsed disbursement vouchers.
He said the P92.8-million project was awarded to a contractor on 28 March 2025, when Revilla was still a senator.
Former Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara earlier testified in a Senate inquiry that then DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo asked him to set aside a P30-million cut for Revilla for a P300-million project.
Alcantara also told the same Senate inquiry that Bernardo instructed him to add project proponents because of the large allocation given to the Bulacan DEO.
Bernardo, during the same inquiry, said he gave Revilla a list of projects in 2024 and that Revilla asked for a “commitment” fee pegged at 25 percent of the project cost. Bernardo also said Alcantara collected the 25 percent commitment, or about P125 million, which was allegedly delivered to Revilla’s house in Cavite.
Revilla denied the allegation that he received 25 percent commissions from flood control projects.
On 15 January, the Department of Justice listed Alcantara and Bernardo as state witnesses in the flood control cases.
