ASEANEWS HEADLINE-CORRUPTION | MANILA: Flood control graft raps poised vs 3 lawmakers, DPWH official
NBI recommends criminal charges vs. senators, DPWH officials linked to flood control mess | ANC
AMLC freezes bank accounts of Villanueva, Jinggoy, Co
MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has recommended the filing of graft and corruption charges against Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada and several others implicated in the multibillion-peso flood control scam.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla announced the development yesterday at the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing on anomalies in flood control projects.
Also recommended charged with Villanueva and Estrada are Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, resigned public works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and former Caloocan City congresswoman Mitch Cajayon-Uy.
Remulla also revealed that the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has ordered a freeze on the bank accounts of Villanueva, Estrada and Co.
In its recommendation, the NBI cited possible violations of Section 3 of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, indirect bribery under Article 211 of the Revised Penal Code and malversation of public funds under Article 217.
“So far, these are the persons, but we’re still looking at the case of Commissioner Lipana and his spouse who was a contractor since it was touched upon by Engineer Alcantara,” Remulla said, referring to Audit commissioner Mario Lipana and former public works district engineer in Bulacan Henry Alcantara.
Alcantara, also at yesterday’s hearing, said Lipana had requested a list of Bulacan flood control projects in 2022 and secured allocations of P500 million in 2023, P400 million in 2024 and P500 million in 2025.
Remulla told the Blue Ribbon committee that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had a meeting with the NBI, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and the National Prosecution Service to review Alcantara’s affidavit. The DOJ has jurisdiction over the NBI.
“On the outset they recommended the filing of charges already,” he said, adding that the affidavit is now treated as a formal complaint endorsed by the NBI.
The Justice secretary also disclosed that the AMLC based its freeze order on the digital files transmitted by the DOJ.
The freeze order also covers the assets of Bernardo, Alcantara and Uy, according to Remulla.
Bong Revilla also implicated
He added the DOJ is still trying to determine if there’s a need to recommend a freeze order on the assets of Lipana and former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, who was cited as having earned kickbacks from public works projects when he was still senator.
At the DOJ after briefly excusing himself and Alcantara from the Senate hearing, Remulla said they are studying whether the former DPWH official can qualify under the Witness Protection Program (WPP).
@[email protected]
He said Alcantara has shown willingness to return the money he illegally obtained from anomalies in project implementation.
“We haven’t gotten to the bottom of everything yet but the gesture for restitution is there,” the DOJ chief said.
“We will have to vet another one because we got a letter from a lawyer asking that we also consider Brice Hernandez as state witness,” he added.
Remulla said Alcantara as well as contractors Sarah and Curlee Discaya are expected to return to the DOJ on Sept. 26 for further evaluation of their requests to be included in the WPP.
The Discaya couple went to the DOJ last week for the formal evaluation of their application to be admitted to the WPP. “There are many more being considered. We have to vet it properly,” he said.
6 senators on Brice’s list
Meanwhile, in an interview on One News’ “Storycon,” lawyer Raymond Fortun said Hernandez is set to implicate six incumbent and former senators in flood control project anomalies in Bulacan. At least four of the senators were incumbents, he said.
Fortun said Hernandez, who is seeking entry into the WPP, has agreed to cooperate with authorities by turning over evidence and naming legislators allegedly involved in questionable insertions and kickbacks.
“At least from what I have been shown initially, the list can actually be longer because Brice said there are more inside that computer,” Fortun said, referring to digital files Hernandez promised to surrender to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) formed by President Marcos to investigate flood control corruption.
Fortun said Hernandez had already turned over several documents to the Senate sergeant-at-arms over the weekend and would also give up assets, including luxury vehicles, as part of an arrangement with investigators.
“You cannot and should not hold on to any of your assets. If you want to enter the witness protection program, you have to give up the things that you were able to take,” he explained.
The lawyer said Hernandez’s testimony would point to six senators. He declined to give names, saying it’s Hernandez who should do so.
Fortun admitted that Hernandez’s testimony would need corroboration from other witnesses, including contractor Jaypee Mendoza, to strengthen the case against alleged masterminds of the scheme.
@[email protected]
“Apparently, the mastermind, the one who conceptualized this entire thing, would appear to be Usec. (Roberto) Bernardo and, to a lesser extent, engineer Henry Alcantara,” Fortun said.
The lawyer said Hernandez has prepared a whistleblower’s report detailing the scheme, which allegedly involved bloated project costs, 25 to 30 percent cuts and substandard infrastructure.
…
Fortun clarified, however, that while Hernandez is “not the least guilty,” he still qualifies as a state witness.
“All you have to do is look at his Ferrari, Lamborghini and the billions spent in the casino. But the law requires that he should not be the most guilty. He falls somewhere in the middle,” he said.
After the Blue Ribbon hearing, Villanueva and Estrada took the floor at the plenary to deny the allegations against them.
Estrada even took aim at Sen. Francis Pangilinan, accusing him of making veiled remarks about his past plunder case as well as Revilla’s during the previous Blue Ribbon hearing.
“His comments, while not naming us directly, were laced with insinuations – clearly aimed at me and former senator Revilla, and the legal ordeals I have already faced,” Estrada said.
He was referring to Pangilinan’s manifestation during the Blue Ribbon hearing, where he said had the Sandiganbayan convicted the lawmakers and government officials involved in the PDAF scam instead of acquitting them, the worse corruption in flood control projects would not have happened.
@[email protected]
Pangilinan denied singling out any lawmaker, saying his statement was meant to highlight low conviction rates in Sandiganbayan cases.
“For the record, there was no intention of maligning any individual… we did not name anyone,” he told the panel.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson then called for a suspension of the session during which the pair straightened out their supposed misunderstanding.
For his part, Villanueva denied that he ever inserted unprogrammed funds into the budget, insisting no evidence could prove that he got kickbacks.
“I’ll fight it in the proper forum – the court. I’ll sue them,” he said in Filipino. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Daphne Galvez
.
Ads by:
Memento Maxima Digital Marketing
