NBI recommends criminal raps vs senators, govt execs
FORMER public workers undersecretary Roberto Bernardo yesterday linked Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, former senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Nancy Binay, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, and an official of the Department of Education (DepEd) to the kickback scheme tied to infrastructure projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Bernardo made his allegations against the senators and the DepEd official in the sworn affidavit that he submitted during the sixth hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which is looking into anomalous big-ticket flood control contracts awarded to private builders.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has recommended the filing of malversation and indirect bribery charges against Escudero, Revilla, Binay, Co and Olaivar who were named in Bernardo’s affidavit.
“Lahat ng kanyang binanggit, yes (Yes, all those that he mentioned),” Remulla told reporters in a chance interview at the DOJ.
“After evaluating everything and the supplemental affidavit as well that they just drew up with the assistance of his lawyers, the NBI already recommended (the filing of charges),” he added.
Remulla also said Bernardo is now considered a “protected witness” following the evaluation of his allegations in the affidavit.
“He is now considered as a protected witness. We will provide him security,” Remulla said following a closed-door meeting with Bernardo at the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Manila.
Remulla brought Bernardo to the DOJ office to evaluate his sworn affidavit after he read his allegations into the records of the Senate committee.
Remulla said that as a protected witness, Bernardo will be given security details to ensure his safety.
He said the former DPWH undersecretary’s application to the Witness Protection Program (WPP) will still be evaluated by the department.
The DOJ on Wednesday also granted protected witness status to contractors Sarah and Curlee Discaya, and former DPWH Bulacan district engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza.
The Discayas have tagged at least 17 congressmen and DPWH officials whom they allegedly gave “advance commissions” so they can corner big-ticket infrastructure contracts.
Alcantara, Hernandez and Mendoza have separately tagged Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, Revilla, Ako Bicol PL Rep. Zaldy Co, former Rep. Mitch Cajayon-Uy, Commission on Audit (COA) commissioner Mario Lipana and the Ferdstar Builders construction firm to the infrastructure kickbacks scandal.
The three former Bulacan district engineers have submitted their respective sworn affidavits to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, detailing how “proponent” fees were delivered to the lawmakers, how much were each given to them, and the sources of the kickbacks.
In a statement issued Thursday night, the DOJ said that “DPWH officials Brice Ericson D. Hernandez, Jaypee D. Mendoza, Henry C. Alcantara, Roberto R. Bernardo, as well as Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II and Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” C. Discaya are presently under provisional acceptance into the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Program (WPP).”
“This means that, for the duration of this provisional period, they are considered protected witnesses for purposes of protection. At present, the assistance extended to them is limited to security and escort. It is meant to protect them from harm, not from liability.”
Bernardo told the Blue Ribbon Committee, which is chaired by Senate president pro tempore Panfilo Lacson, that he wanted to be admitted to the WPP because he feared for his safety, especially since he had tagged government leaders in position to the kickbacks scandal.
“I have applied before the Department of Justice for coverage as a state witness… mindful not only of the materiality of my testimony, but also of my rights as well as fearful of the effects my disclosures… to my family’s safety and well-being,” he said.
He said he decided to spill the beans so he can correct the wrong that he has committed.
He committed to fully participate in the ongoing investigation of the Lacson committee and the DOJ.
While he confirmed the delivery of kickbacks to lawmakers and government officials, Bernardo denied that he was involved the “business” activities of Alcantara, Hernandez and Mendoza, Arjay Domasig and Edrick San Diego, who have been called by Lacson as the “BGC” or Bulacan Group of Contractors Boys.
“I categorically state that I have neither knowledge nor participation in these ‘business’ activities which were entirely done by Engr. Alcantara, Engr. Hernandez, Engr. Mendoza, and Engr. Domasig on their own,” he said.
He said he only learned of the group’s “ghost” projets after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. disclosed them during his State of the Nation Address last July 28.
He said Alcantara also told him that he has no information on the said ghost projects and the latter pointed Hernandez as the brains behind them.
“I categorically state that I have neither knowledge nor participation in these flood control ghost projects,” he said.
ESCUDERO
Bernardo claimed Escudero got a 20 percent commission from approximately P800 million worth of DPWH contracts, or about P160 million, coursed through Maynard Ngu.
He said Ngu, who he said is his friend, is a “close friend and campaign contributor of Senator Chiz Escudero.”
“Maynard Ngu asked me to submit a list of projects. I personally submitted a list of projects to Maynard Ngu and some of the items therein pertaining to the Valenzuela and Marinduque projects were subsequently included in the 2025 General Appropriations Act,” he said.
Upon receipt of the project list, Bernardo said Ngu asked him how much percent commission would be given to Escudero. “I asked, ‘Boss, okay na ba ang 20 percent?’ Maynard said: ‘Okay’,” he said.
After the projects were included in the GAA, Bernardo said he delivered Escudero’s 20 percent commission in the amount of P160 million to Ngu.
He said that “deliveries of cash were personally made by me to Maynard Ngu at his office in Manila… sometime in the first quarter of 2025.”
In the annexes submitted to the committee, Bernardo said the projects allegedly “committed” to Escudero, which were allegedly inserted during the bicameral conference committee meetings for the 2025 national budget, included the construction of phase 2 of a flood control project in Barangay Canumay West, Valenzuela City worth P100 million; construction of phase 3 of the same project for another P100 million; and rehabilitation/reconstruction of tertiary roads in Boac, Marinduque with a total contract cost of P600 million.
In a supplemental affidavit that he rea d during the afternoon session of the Senate committee hearing, Bernardo further gave details of his dealing with Escudero.
“To add, while I was attending the confirmation hearing of (former DPWH) Sec. (Manuel) Bonoan sometime in August 2022, I was summoned by Senator Chiz to his room. When I got there, he told me: ‘Hindi na ako bababa doon sa CA. Marami pa akong kulang na streetlights sa Sorsogon. Ano ba magagawa niyo para sa akin (I am not going down to attend the CA hearing. I still need a lot of streetlight in Sorsogon. What can you do for me)?’ I replied: ‘Kakausapin ko si Sec kung paano gagawin (I’ll talk to Sec about this).’ I relayed to Sec. Bonoan what Senator Chiz told me,” he said.
After that, he said, that he “received from the brother-in-law of Senator Chiz Escudero a list of projects which included the aforesaid streetlights project. He asked me to confirm if that streetlights project was the one for Senator Chiz which I did.”
Bernardo also narrated that “some in 2023,Maynard Ngu told me to go to Cork and meet Senator Chiz Escudero which I did. I met with the latter in a private room in the said establishment. While we were drinking wine, he told me: ‘Alam ko naman ang galawan niyo diyan sa DPWH, okay naman ako, sabihin mo kay Sec magbaba sa akin.’”
He added that “around July 2025,I had a chance encounter with Senator Chiz Escudero and Maynard Ngu at the Cork. Senator Chiz Escudero approached me, shook my hand, and said to me: “Thank you.”
REVILLA
Bernardo said he met Revilla sometime in 2024, during which he supposedly gave him a list of projects that was provided to him by Alcantara.
“Senator Revilla asked for a commitment, which I suggested and he then approved at 25 percent of the total amount of the projects indicated in the list,” he said.
He said he later informed Alcantara about the 25 percent “commitment” fee for Revilla, and told him to add a little more to help in the latter’s 2025 reelection campaign.
“Engr. Alcantara collected the 25 percent, or about P125 million, which was turned over to me and then delivered to Senator Revilla in his house in Cavite,” he also said.
Bernardo said the budget for the projects which funded Revilla’s commission was allegedly inserted in the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP). The projects included a flood control project in Barangay San Roque, Baliuag, Bulacan worth P100 million; and another project of the same nature in Barangay Manatal, Pandi, Bulacan, also worth P100 million.
Another budget insertion to fund the former senator’s commission was supposedly inserted in the 2025 budget version approved by the House of Representatives. The projects reportedly included three flood control projects, all in Bulacan, with a total project cost of P300 million.
BINAY
Bernardo recalled that one Carleen Villa, whom he said was supposed to be a staff member and “trusted confidant” of Binay, called him and asked for a 15 percent commitment for a flood control project and two river wall reinforcement projects in Malolos, Pulilan, and Balagtas towns.
He said funding for projects for the kickbacks of Binay, who is now the mayor of Makati City, included P100M, which came from the 2025 NEP, and P150 million , which inserted at the bicameral level.
“Engr. Alcantara collected the 15 percent commission, or about P37 million, which was turned over to me and which I then delivered to Senator Binay to a house in Quezon City,” he said.
CO
Bernardo claimed Co had previously called him to inquire if Alcantara was easy go get along. He said it was during the call that the lawmaker informed that he had made a deal with the former Bulacan district engineer about getting a 25 percent commissions from flood control projects.
From the 25 percent, Bernardo said Alcantara told him that 2 percent would be given to them.
“Furthermore, Engr. Alcantara would tell me every time that he made deliveries of cash to Cong. Zaldy Co in compliance with his commitment to Cong. Zaldy Co,” he said.
OLAIVAR, LIPANA
The former DPWH undersecretary said he met Olaiver sometime in 2010. At the time, Olaivar was still working at the office of Revilla. He said he later learned that Olaivar transferred to the office of former senator and now Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara.
Bernardo said that in 2024, Olaivar called him to discuss about getting a commission from projects to be funded under the unprogrammed appropriations “supposedly for the Office of the Executive Secretary.”
He said he gave Olaiver a list of projects worth P2.85 billion. “Subsequently, I submitted this list to Usec. Olaivar. Usec told me that the commitment is 15 percent… Thereafter, the DPWH received a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for P2.85 billion for the projects,” he said.
He said Alcantara collected the commissions and delivered it to him, which he then supposedly brought to Olaivar in Magallanes, Makati City, and other places.
Bernardo said Lipana had previously requested that he be referred to the Bulacan DEO so he can see the list of projects in the area.
He said he referred Lipana to Hernandez. He said he was not privy if Lipana was able to secure any project in Bulacan.
Lipana is currently on medical leave, according to the Commission on Audit.
