Former Public Works–Bulacan District Engineer Henry Alcantara testifies in the Sandiganbayan Third Division on October 20, 2026. (File photo from JOHN ERIC MENDOZA / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — State witness and former Public Works and Highways-Bulacan District Engineer Henry Alcantara received at least P5 billion worth of alleged kickbacks from contractors, intended to be delivered to project proponents.
Alcantara’s former staff Carlo Rivera made the revelation on Tuesday before the Sandiganbayan Third Division’s bail hearing of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, stemming from alleged kickbacks worth P7.44 billion.
Rivera said the alleged P5 billion kickback came from around P35 billion worth of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects in Bulacan from 2022 to 2025.
According to him, the biggest amount of project was P14.1 billion in 2024, followed by P12.9 billion (2023), P7.3 billion (2025), and P519 million (2022).
Asked to confirm by the court if the total amount of alleged kickback reached P5.56 billion, Rivera said: “About that much, Your Honor.”
Rivera said he personally contacted contractors to coordinate and confirm the deliveries of the commitments to Alcantara’s office.
He also said that he personally followed up and collected cash commitments from contractors, counted the money, and marked the amounts on Post-it notes, before the funds were turned over to Alcantara.
He also said the alleged kickbacks were brought to ‘proponents’ of the projects, including former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, also an co-accused in this plunder case.
Aside from Co, Rivera said the alleged project proponents in their list include state witness and former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, former Sen. Bong Revilla, and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
Estrada and Revilla face plunder and malversation cases before this anti-graft court over alleged kickbacks.
The identity of the proponents, Rivera said, was only relayed to him by Alcantara.
Rivera was a DPWH Engineer II who served under Alcantara from 2019 to 2025.