Alcantara testifies Revilla was due P90M commitment fee

Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) District Engineer Henry Alcantara testified before the Sandiganbayan that former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla was allegedly set to receive a P90-million “commitment fee” from three infrastructure projects funded under the 2025 national budget.

Alcantara, now a state witness under the Department of Justice’s Witness Protection Program, said the money was generated through an alleged “in-house contracting” scheme in which engineers from the DPWH Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office supposedly acted as contractors by borrowing licenses from private construction firms.

According to Alcantara, engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza, both respondents in the graft and malversation case, implemented the scheme during the bidding process. He cited the Pandi flood control project, where Hernandez allegedly used the contractor’s license of SYMS Contractor owner Sally Santos, who had earlier testified and confirmed the arrangement.

The former district engineer said the money intended for Revilla was allegedly delivered to former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo in 2025 using banker’s boxes containing at least P20 million each.

Alcantara testified that the usual commitment fee was 25 percent of a project’s value but claimed Revilla’s share was increased to 30 percent.

He maintained that he was unaware at the time that the projects were allegedly “ghost” or incomplete, saying he relied on reports prepared by his subordinates and only learned of the alleged irregularities after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. highlighted the multibillion-peso flood control controversy during his State of the Nation Address.

Alcantara later confirmed suspicions about the projects after engineers John Michael Ramos and Ernesto Galang personally inspected the sites on Bernardo’s instructions.

During his testimony, Alcantara also revealed that he was required to produce P300 million in restitution by 2027. Associate Justice Michael Musngi questioned the feasibility of the amount, noting that Alcantara’s declared net worth in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) was only P18 million. Alcantara then admitted that the information in his SALN was inaccurate.