P248 million recovered so far in flood control mess

MANILA, Philippines — With the flood control scandal that has gripped the nation in 2025 reaching billions of pesos in scale, the government has so far recovered P248 million from key figures who admitted these were kickbacks from anomalous infrastructure projects.

Officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), as well as contractors, have returned millions of pesos in the hopes of becoming state witnesses and be freed from criminal liability in cases that the government will file in court in relation to the scandal.

In November, former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo turned over to the government his bank account containing P7 million; however, it is currently frozen following a request by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

Bernardo was implicated in having given commissions off flood control projects to the camps of Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva , former senator Bong Revilla, former Ako Bicol congressman Zaldy Co and former Caloocan representative Mitch Cajayon.

He was also allegedly one of the officials who requested for at least 25 percent of the kickbacks.

Former Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara, meanwhile, has surrendered P110 million and P71 million in two batches to the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of his commitment to return money he received as kickbacks in his application to be a state witness.

This is part of the P300 million he committed to return, based on transactions he acknowledged in his sworn statement.

Meanwhile, in December, former DPWH National Capital Region regional director Gerard Opulencia turned over P40 million to the DOJ, part of his commitment to return a total of P150 million which he admitted to having skimmed from funds intended for projects in Metro Manila when he was director.

Opulencia had earlier been named as a respondent in a complaint involving a project undergoing preliminary investigation at the DOJ. He later entered into an agreement to return P150 million in exchange for the full benefits of becoming state witness.

Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon had said that among the cases under preliminary investigation were flood control projects awarded to SYMS Construction in the towns of Balagtas and Pandi in Bulacan.

He, however, said Opulencia did not receive money from the Bulacan projects but had knowledge of what transpired.