Bernardo cites conscience, lack of help as reasons for exposing ghost projects

Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Roberto Bernardo said inquiries into the flood control scandal and his discovery of ghost projects prompted him to share what he knew with authorities.

Bernardo, a state witness under the Department of Justice’s Witness Protection Program, made the statement during his testimony before the Sandiganbayan Third Division in the plunder case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

The former DPWH official said he initially did not want to disclose what he knew, believing that the people with whom he had transactions and dealings related to infrastructure projects would help him.

Those he personally named included former senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla and Nancy Binay; senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Jinggoy Estrada; former congressmen Zaldy Co and Mitch Cajayon-Uy; and former DPWH officials Manuel Bonoan and Cathy Cabral.

Bernardo said none of the individuals he mentioned helped him, adding that he did not ask them for assistance.

When Romualdez’s lawyer asked whether this was a primary motivation for testifying against them, Bernardo said it was one of his considerations.

“It’s not completely like that, for me, eventually I will be called and it is possible, of course I will to tell the truth, I expected that they wouldn’t want that to happen,” Bernardo said.

Bernardo also said he felt guilty when he began learning about the ghost projects uncovered by authorities in 2025, particularly those in Bulacan.

“When I learned about the ghost projects, I was bothered by my conscience…when I learned about ghost projects I could no longer bear it,” he said.

Bernardo said he eventually believed that speaking up and telling the truth about the controversy was the right thing to do.

Kickback percentages

Aside from his reasons for testifying, Bernardo was questioned about the alleged kickback percentages provided to lawmakers.

He explained that there was no fixed percentage for every transaction, as the amount depended on the agreement between a project proponent and a DPWH official.

He further claimed that no DPWH project was without a kickback because all projects had a proponent.

Citing examples, Bernardo said Binay received between 12% and 15%, while Estrada received between 18% and 25%.

He also said he had heard from colleagues that some lawmakers received kickbacks as high as 30%.

According to Bernardo, the unlawful practice dated back to at least 2002, when he first became a district engineer.

No mention of Romualdez

Romualdez’s defense lawyers also questioned Bernardo about his knowledge of their client’s alleged involvement in the flood control scheme, noting that the former speaker’s name appeared in only one of the witness’s several affidavits.

Bernardo said he had never dealt with Romualdez, adding that the former speaker had not approached him to obtain a list of projects.

He said the only time he saw the Leyte lawmaker was at a birthday party for Senator Mark Villar.

Bernardo also said he had no direct knowledge of how the House of Representatives crafted its version of the national budget.

The bail hearing of Romualdez in the plunder case, which concerns his alleged accumulation of P7.4 billion in ill-gotten wealth from 2022 to 2025, is set to resume on 9 November.