Manila: A former undersecretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) implicated on Thursday several lawmakers and district engineers in alleged commission schemes and ghost projects involving billions of pesos in flood control funds. In his affidavit submitted to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee during the resumption of its flood control probe, Roberto Bernardo said engineers from the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office engaged in a '20-20-20-40' profit-sharing arrangement.
According to Philippines News Agency, Bernardo claimed that the fraudulent scheme was carried out using the licenses of other contractors, leading to ghost projects. He identified former Bulacan 1st Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez as the primary person responsible for the operations. Bernardo stated that Hernandez was consistently pointed out by colleagues during meetings as being heavily involved in the scheme.
Bernardo also alleged that Maynard Ngu, described as a close friend and campaign contributor of former Senate president Francis Escudero, received approximately PHP160 million as part of the scheme. This amount reportedly represented 20 percent of an PHP800-million allocation for flood control projects in Valenzuela and Marinduque. In response, Escudero denied Bernardo's allegations, calling them baseless and politically motivated. He emphasized that he had no direct contact with Bernardo regarding this matter and vowed to challenge the claims.
The allegations extended to other political figures, with Bernardo citing that former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. received about PHP125 million, and former senator and current Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay had a 15-percent commitment in projects amounting to roughly PHP37 billion. Binay refuted the claims, questioning the motives behind the testimonies and asserting that the allegations had no foundation. She stressed that her record in public service remained unblemished.
Furthermore, Bernardo implicated Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, stating that Congressman Co was requesting a 25 percent commission from projects, with a portion distributed among others involved. Bernardo asserted that his statements were based on personal knowledge and documentation, expressing readiness to provide additional affidavits if necessary.
In light of these revelations, Bernardo is seeking protection after exposing the alleged corruption scheme. Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has requested to process Bernardo's sworn affidavit and evaluate his request for inclusion in the Witness Protection Program.
