Former DPWH official links more senators to kickbacks

Former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo implicated a new batch of incumbent and former senators and a sitting Cabinet secretary in the flood control mess, claiming they also received kickbacks from projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

In a supplemental affidavit he submitted and read on Friday at the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon committee inquiry into anomalous flood control projects, Bernardo enumerated the people allegedly involved in the scandal.

It was mainly reiteration of his previous testimonies, where he named the following among the officials who allegedly received “commitments” from DPWH projects: former Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Nancy Binay; Senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Jinggoy Estrada; former Representatives Elizaldy Co (Ako Bicol), Mitch Cajayon-Uy (Caloocan), Rida Robes (San Jose del Monte); and former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan and former Undersecretary Catalina Cabral.

These officials had earlier denied the allegations.

On Friday, Bernardo also linked former Sen. Grace Poe and incumbent Sen. Mark Villar, a former DPWH secretary, and former senator and now Education Secretary Sonny Angara to the anomaly.

Angara, Revilla, Estrada and Escudero on Friday had separately denied Bernardo’s allegations. Others have yet to issue a statement at press time.

Villar, Poe, Angara

Bernardo, who was appointed public works assistant secretary in 2016, during Villar’s stint as secretary under the Duterte administration, claimed that Villar received commissions for the project supposedly through his cousin, Carlo Aguilar,

Bernardo said Cabral, who was in charge of infrastructure programming and planning, was then working closely with Villar “for the allocation, listing, and budgeting of all the DPWH infrastructure projects.”

“The funding of all projects was cleared through [Undersecretary] Cabral for approval by [Secretary] Villar. From time to time, [Undersecretary] Cabral would ask me to submit [a] detailed list of projects regarding lump-sum fund allocations of DPWH which she sometimes approves herself or forward to Secretary Villar for approval,” he said.

“Among others, these include Edsa and other major road project applications, [and] maintenance of creeks and waterways. The commission for these approved projects was 10 percent and divided as follows: 50 percent to Carlo Aguilar, presumably for [Secretary] Mark Villar; 25 percent for Undersecretary Cabral; and 25 percent for myself,” Bernardo added.

Bernardo did not provide documents or cite other instances that would support his accusations against Villar and his relative.

As to Poe, Bernardo said that sometime in the third quarter of 2024 “a staff of Sen. Grace Poe requested [Secretary] Bonoan, through me, if [Poe] can be accommodated in the DPWH NEP (National Expenditure Program]. [Secretary] Bonoan told me there is P500 million for [Senator] Poe and instructed me to ask the senator for a list of projects.”

He said Poe’s staff member, whom he identified as JY dela Rosa, had told him to coordinate the matter with one Mrs. Patron, a contractor who would later instruct him to prepare the list.

“Upon my instructions, [National Capital Region district] engineer Gerard Opulencia submitted a consolidated list of the following projects: one in Laguna and three in [the NCR],” said Bernardo, adding that the list of projects was later included in the NEP by Bonoan through Cabral.

“Later on, the said projects appeared in the GAA [General Appropriations Act] for 2025. There was a 20-percent commitment for Sen. Grace Poe. Mrs. Patron, a contractor, collected the commitment for [Poe] at Diamond Hotel from one of my aides,” Bernardo said.

Healso reiterated his allegation against Education Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar who he said received “deliveries” for Education Secretary and former Sen. Sonny Angara.

“Aside from the details I had earlier mentioned in my affidavit dated Sept. 25, [Undersecretary] Trygve and I also had transactions concerning [Senator] Angara between 2019 and 2024 where [Undersecretary] Trygve received deliveries representing 12 percent of the project of [Angara] when he was chairman of [the Senate] finance [committee],” said Bernardo.

Olaivar had denied Bernardo’s allegation.

Bernardo, reiterating his earlier testimony, said he and Olaivar discussed the unprogrammed appropriations supposedly for the Office of the Executive Secretary.

“Thereafter, [the] DPWH received a Special Allotment Release Order (Saro) which included projects worth P2.85 billion. The contract IDs for the projects worth P2.85 billion covered by the said Saro can be secured from the records of the DPWH Regional Office for Region III (Central Luzon) and the First District Engineering Office of Bulacan,” said Bernardo.

Angara on Friday denied his involvement in the anomalies surrounding the government’s multibillion-peso infrastructure projects.

“In my 21 years in government, we have never been involved in corruption,” Angara said in a statement. “We reject any insinuation made that we were involved in anomalous projects.”

Revilla, Estrada

In his testimony on Friday, Bernardo also reiterated his dealings with Revilla and Estrada in 2023 and 2024. The former DPWH official said he had a “close relationship” with both Revilla and Estrada.

“Sometime in the third quarter of 2024, Revilla and I met where he asked for a list of projects for funding ostensibly to help him in his national campaign. When Senator Revilla asked about the percentage of the commitment, I suggested either 20 percent or 25 percent, to which Senator Revilla said: 25 percent,” Bernardo recalled.

“Sometime in the last quarter of 2024, engineer [Henry] Alcantara collected the 25 percent commitment of about P125 million and informed me that the same was ready for turnover through engineer Gerard Opulencia,” he added.

Bernardo said he was told by Opulencia that the money was already in his vehicle.

“After receipt of the 25 percent commitment, which were packed in six cardboard boxes, each containing at least P20 million, and one paper bag containing P5 million, I called up Senator Revilla to inform him the same is ready to be turned over to him,” said Bernardo, noting that he went to the reelectionist senator’s house in Cavite in December 2024.

Bernardo also noted that before the start of the campaign period for national elective positions, he also directed one of his aides to deliver another P250 million Revilla’s house.

Revilla’s camp said Bernardo’s testimony should be taken with a grain of salt.

“There is an inherent danger in giving credence to the allegations of someone who has long undermined the law. Allowing a perpetrator to recast himself as a truth-teller does not strengthen our justice system; it compromises it,” said lawyer Maria Carissa Guinto, Revilla’s spokesperson.

“This development is disappointing but not surprising. Once again, Mr. Revilla is being subjected to political persecution by forces harboring ill will against him. He categorically denies all allegations against him,” said Guinto.

As for Estrada, Bernardo said: “Sometime in 2023, [Senator] Jinggoy requested [Secretary] Bonoan, through me, for projects worth P500 million. [Bonoan] agreed to give P450 million for the DPWH NCR building which [Undersecretary] Cathy Cabral included in the NEP for 2024 with an 18-percent commitment for [Senator] Jinggoy,” said Bernardo.

Sometime in the first quarter of 2025, Bernardo said Estrada once again asked him to get a 25-percent commitment for other DPWH projects.

“Alcantara then delivered to me the 25-percent commitment, approximately P213 million, which I delivered to [Senator] Jinggoy … in San Juan City,” said Bernardo.

Estrada also denied all the allegations

“The claim that I supposedly received a percentage from these projects is baseless, reckless, and unsupported by any credible evidence whatsoever,” Estrada said.

“I have always acted with integrity as a legislator, and I remain committed to transparency and accountability in all my public duties. I will pursue every available legal remedy against those who persist in spreading false, defamatory, and malicious statements,” he added.

Binay, Escudero

Bernardo repeated his allegation against Binay, who he claimed asked, through an aide, for a 15-percent commitment sometime in the last quarter of 2023. Binay had earlier denied the allegation.

Bernardo said Escudero, through businessman Maynard Ngu, received P280 million, made in two deliveries early this year.

But Escudero said the allegations against him were not new and had been denied and refuted before.

“There is no direct evidence presented in the testimony of Bernardo linking Senator Chiz to any criminal act. Speculations and insinuations are not evidence. These are at best hearsay, lack basis, and are self-serving statements that will not stand in any court of law,” he said, noting that the allegations were “malicious and baseless.”

Meanwhile, contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya on Friday named several incumbent and former members of the House of Representatives and DPWH officials recorded in his payoff ledger.

Discaya, during the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, said among those who received commissions were Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo, Caloocan Rep. Dean Asistio, Quezon City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas, Quezon City Rep. Marivic Co-Pilar and Uswag Ilonggo Rep. Jojo Ang.

Also named by Discaya were former Undersecretary Terence Calatrava of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas and former DPWH Undersecretary Bernardo.

These officials were among the 17 people who were earlier identified by Discaya as allegedly soliciting money from their companies after being awarded a government project.

All these lawmakers and Calatrava had earlier denied Discaya’s accusation.

The ledger submitted by Discaya, who is under Senate detention since he was cited for contempt on Sept. 18, was described as “partial” as he failed to retrieve all of the documents when he was allowed to go home accompanied by Senate security on Friday.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the committee chair, then told Discaya to secure the complete ledger which contained the names of all lawmakers he implicated in his previous testimony.

“We will allow you to go back, I will write to the Senate President as to when, but take everything you need and don’t go back and forth,” Lacson told Discaya. —WITH REPORTS FROM DEMPSEY REYES AND JOHN ERIC MENDOZA