NAAWAN, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews / 24 Sept) — For parrying questions and not telling the truth, sacked Bulacan DPWH first district engineer Henry Alcantara was cited in contempt and was detained at the Senate detention facility.
His isolation at the Senate detention facility had a cathartic effect on Alcantara.
During the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on flood control projects, Alcantara corroborated the allegation of his former assistant district engineer, Brice Hernandez, that projects were approved in exchange for a 20 to 30 percent “proponent’s share,” referring to the kickbacks senators and congressmen allegedly asked for in return for pushing for funding for flood control projects. He tagged DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo as one acting as a middleman between local Bulacan officials and national politicians.
Alcantara dropped the bomb on Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, former senator Bong Revilla Jr., Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, and former Caloocan Rep. Mitch Cajayon, claiming they were among the fat recipients of the commitment or kickbacks from the flood control funds for Bulacan.
Whistleblower Brice Hernandez claimed that the biggest beneficiary of the flood control project kickback is Rep. Zaldy Co, the Chair of the Appropriation Committee of the House. An estimated P1 billion in cash—allegedly packed into more than 20 suitcases and transported in six to seven vans—was delivered by the team of Hernandez to the penthouse of Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co at Shangri-La Hotel in Taguig.
Greed is indeed bottomless for the crocodiles in Congress. Pocketing a huge amount of kickback money results to substandard flood mitigating projects and risks the limbs and lives of submerged communities in Bulacan. Of course, crocodiles have no conscience.
Based on the vetted findings of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, the National Bureau of Investigation recommended to DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla the filing of criminal charges—indirect bribery and malversation of public funds against all concerned, including Alcantara.
The charges are quite soft vis-à-vis the amount of public funds being stolen and the overt betrayal of public trust. The gravity of the crime necessitates the filing of plunder charges against them, which are non-bailable and automatically jail the accused while waiting for trial.
It is hoped that the Independent Commission on Infrastructure takes over and hammers the nails to the coffin to deter the betrayal of public trust.
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. William R. Adan, Ph.D., is retired professor and former chancellor of Mindanao State University at Naawan, Misamis Oriental.)