Private contractor turns over P15 million to DOJ

MANILA, Philippines — A private contractor yesterday turned over P15 million to the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of her commitment to restitute the government for her involvement in the flood control scam, following her provisional admission to the Witness Protection Program.

In a statement sent via Viber, DOJ spokesman Raphael Niccolo Martinez confirmed that two armored vehicles arrived at the DOJ office in Manila yesterday morning, containing the cash turned over by Sally Santos through her counsel.

Santos is the owner and general manager of SYMS Construction Trading.

“I just received word that the armored vehicles that arrived earlier today carried the amount of more or less P15 million as part of the partial restitution by Santos pursuant to the terms of her MOA (Memorandum of Agreement),” Martinez said.

Martinez was referring to the MOA that Santos recently executed with the DOJ following her provisional admission to the WPP.

Santos earlier admitted to delivering about P1 billion to the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) from 2002 to 2025 in exchange for awarding several flood control projects to her construction firm.

She said there was an instance when she delivered P245 million in cash, contained in noodle boxes, to DPWH in just one day.

Santos said she used to deliver most of the cash to the DPWH Bulacan First District Engineer Office.

Santos is among the respondents in several cases currently being investigated by the DOJ in connection with the ghost flood control projects in Bulacan.

Civil forfeiture eyed vs Martin

In a related development, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the Office of the Ombudsman is considering a civil forfeiture case against former House speaker Martin Romualdez for possible negligence that led to anomalies in flood control projects.

In an interview, Remulla said investigators are looking at filing a case for “gross neglect” against the former speaker to allow the forfeiture of his assets, even if no criminal liability is established.

“That is the plan. If we cannot get him criminally, then we will go after his assets,” Remulla said. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Evelyn Macairan