A dismissed district engineer at the center of the widening flood-control corruption investigations has returned an initial P110 million in cash to the Philippine government — a rare restitution move that Justice Acting Secretary Fredderick Vida says marks only the beginning of a much larger repayment.
Vida on Friday confirmed that former Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara personally turned over the money, which was validated on the spot by representatives from the Bureau of the Treasury and Land Bank. The amount forms part of Alcantara’s commitment to return roughly P300 million, which investigators say he amassed from anomalous flood-control projects now under scrutiny.
“This cash turnover is part of restitution,” Vida said, noting that the computation relies on a detailed review of Alcantara’s sworn statements. “Simple mathematics lang: if he claims he delivered P1 billion worth of projects and admits earning 2 percent from it, we check if the numbers match. We verify every line.”
The DOJ’s review panel is now combing through Alcantara’s testimonies — and cross-checking them with project records — to determine whether his disclosures are truthful or incomplete.
No blanket immunity
Vida stressed that repayment alone does not wipe out all of Alcantara’s liabilities. Any protection he receives under the DOJ’s Witness Protection Program (WPP) applies only to the specific amounts he returns. If investigators uncover undisclosed dealings or additional kickbacks, he remains criminally liable.
“The DOJ does not give blanket immunity,” Vida said. “If our data later shows he withheld information or is involved in other schemes, he is not absolved.”
Aside from Alcantara, former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo has also been provisionally admitted to the WPP. Bernardo has so far committed over P7 million through bank accounts assigned to the DOJ — accounts that are currently frozen and undergoing evaluation in coordination with the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
But Vida acknowledged a gap: Senator Panfilo Lacson earlier said Bernardo should be returning around P1 billion, not P7 million. Vida agreed. “That was the indicated amount — P1 billion.”
The DOJ prefers restitution in cash whenever possible, he added, to ensure transparency and ease of verification.
As the flood-control corruption probe accelerates, Justice officials say more repayments — and possibly more revelations — could follow in the coming weeks.