More than P841 million in stolen funds from anomalous flood control projects has been recovered and remitted back to the public coffers, the Department of Justice announced Monday. 

Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon told Senator Erwin Tulfo-led Blue Ribbon Committee that the amount, totaling  P841,381,500 reflects the cumulative restitution retrieved by the government from erring contractors and ex-government officials involved in the kickback scheme as of Monday. 

The figure was a 37.6-percent increase over the P611 million initially recorded in March and was part of the ongoing high-stakes probe into the grossly substandard, if not ghost, flood control projects, resulting from alleged collusion among DPWH officials, lawmakers, and private contractors.

The lion's share of the P611 million was returned by former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, a central figure-turned-whistleblower of the corruption scheme in flood control projects.

Fadullon did not detail the contributors but confirmed that the money had already been turned over to the Bureau of the Treasury through the Land Bank of the Philippines.

As of last week, another 14 flood control-related cases have been filed with the DOJ for preliminary investigation, 13 of which have already been endorsed to either the Ombudsman or lower courts for further examination and subsequent case buildup. 

The one remaining case before the DOJ involves former senator Bong Revilla, who has been detained at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas since January for a separate non-bailable malversation case involving a P92.8-million “ghost” flood control project in Bulacan. 

Under the pending information, plunder, graft, and direct bribery are the possible cases that can be filed against Revilla and his seven other co-accused, including former Bernardo and ex-DPWH-Bulacan head-engineer Henry Alcantara, who are now state witnesses. 

“This case is now just being edited before it will be subjected [to] review and then for final approval. Apart from these cases,  Mr. Chair, there are also Bureau of Internal Revenue cases that were filed against several personalities,” Fadullon told the committee. 

Aside from this, the DOJ has been handling tax- and criminal-related cases filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue since last year. Fadullon said the number of cases is currently pegged at 28, although Fadullon did not elaborate on the details, such as who the respondents are in the case. 

In November last year, the BIR filed criminal complaints against Alcantara and former DPWH-Bulacan engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza over P1.6 billion in tax liabilities, accusing them of falsely declaring their income and assets to defraud the government and evade tax. 

The BIR also lodged a similar complaint against the sole proprietor of Wawao Builders, Mark Allan Villamor Arevalo, in January. 

The case involves P48.4 million in alleged tax deficiency stemming from the flood control project of Wawao in Malolos, Bulacan, in 2024, which was later found to be “ghost” or non-existent.