A Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineer has testified before the Sandiganbayan about an alleged multibillion-peso kickback scheme involving government infrastructure projects in Bulacan from 2022 to 2025. Engineer John Carlo Rivera, who worked under former Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara, told the anti-graft court that he personally coordinated and collected cash payments from contractors before turning them over to his former superior. During the proceedings, the court examined project records covering more than ₱22.25 billion in infrastructure allocations, with alleged 25% commission arrangements amounting to approximately ₱5.56 billion. The testimony provided details about how purported contractor payments were collected, recorded, and transferred within the alleged scheme.
According to Rivera, Alcantara instructed him to contact contractors, follow up on payments, count cash collections, and deliver the money to his office. He identified several construction firms involved in the transactions he handled, including Topnotch Catalyst Builders, ARL Builders, Wawao Builders, IM Construction Corporation, and SYMS Construction Trading. Rivera further testified that the funds were allegedly forwarded to former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co, who was said to have distributed payments to project proponents. Among the individuals identified in lists supplied by Alcantara were Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., and former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo. Rivera clarified that the names came from Alcantara rather than his own direct knowledge of arrangements involving those individuals.
The testimony emerged during the bail hearing of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who is facing a plunder case involving allegations of approximately ₱7.44 billion in illicit payments. Significantly, Rivera testified that Romualdez was not listed as a project proponent or identified as a recipient in the transactions he personally handled, a distinction raised during questioning by the defense. That testimony does not resolve the separate allegations underlying Romualdez’s case, but it is relevant to the court’s assessment of the prosecution’s evidence. The alleged payments, the roles attributed to the named individuals, and the broader corruption accusations remain subject to judicial determination. The hearings continue to examine how public works contracts were awarded and whether funds intended for infrastructure projects were diverted through unlawful commission arrangements.