Defense lawyers for former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. moved to discredit a key prosecution narrative, arguing that testimony linking him to a P92.8 million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan, is based on “multiple layers of hearsay.

During a hearing before the Sandiganbayan Third Division, Engr. Peter Paul Cortez, chief of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Planning Service, testified that he was told the late DPWH Undersecretary Catalina Cabral had verbally ordered the project's inclusion in 2025 budget amendments. 

Cortez said he was informed that Revilla was to be tagged as the project's proponent.

Defense counsel argued that Cortez’s testimony lacked personal knowledge and was based on information from unspecified sources. 

hey characterized the account as “more than double hearsay,” citing the claim cannot be verified because Cabral is deceased.

Cortez admitted during cross-examination that the alleged directive from Cabral was never put in writing.

He further testified that the project was not part of the original list submitted by DPWH regional offices but was added by the central office through an "errata" — a set of budget corrections — sent to the House Committee on Appropriations.

While the errata document identified Revilla as the proponent, Cortez acknowledged it did not bear the former senator’s signature.

He confirmed there was no separate letter or communication from Revilla requesting or endorsing the funding.

"The witness also reiterated earlier disclosures that there was no record within the DPWH Programming Division showing Revilla as the originator of the proposal."

Cortez explained that his division’s role is limited to encoding and processing entries for evaluation, not verifying if the individuals named as proponents actually authored the proposals.

He conceded he had no direct dealings with Revilla or his representatives and could not identify who specifically processed the alleged instruction within the department.

The administrative trail also appeared thin, as Cortez confirmed the absence of a transmittal sheet or receipt documenting the project's movement from the undersecretary's office to the programming division.

The defense highlighted a 9 September 2024, "errata" letter signed by Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan.

They noted that this document, which officially triggered the project's inclusion in the national budget, identified department leadership — rather than any specific legislator — as the proponent.

The challenge follows previous hearings where the defense has consistently pointed to a lack of direct testimonial or documentary evidence connecting Revilla to the project’s conceptualization.