Manila: The government has successfully recovered over PHP316 million from four state witnesses involved in cases related to fraudulent flood control projects. A Department of Justice (DOJ) official confirmed the restitution during a press briefing on Thursday.
According to Philippines News Agency, acting DOJ Secretary Fredderick Vida announced that the recovered funds, totaling PHP316 million, were returned by state witnesses connected to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The individuals involved include DPWH Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara, who returned PHP181 million; DPWH Regional Director Gerard Opulencia, with PHP80 million; DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, who returned PHP35 million; and government contractor Sally Santos, who returned PHP20 million.
'Sila po ay nakikipagtulungan sa Department of Justice para po mapalakas 'yung ating mga kaso laban doon sa ating gustong habulin (They are helping the DOJ to strengthen our cases against those we want to run after),' Vida stated, highlighting the cooperation of these individuals with the DOJ.
Furthermore, DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Ty revealed that the government anticipates recovering a total of PHP1.5 billion from these four state witnesses as restitution for the ill-gotten wealth they acquired as kickbacks from the ghost project contracts. 'Ang estimate doon sa apat, lalampas sa PHP1.5 billion (It is estimated that the total money they committed to return will reach more than PHP1.5 billion),' Ty added.
Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon commented on the status of two other individuals, former DPWH assistant district engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza. He noted that they have not been accepted as state witnesses at this time. 'Sa ngayon wala kaming nakikitang pangangailangan para sila ay i-discharge namin, at least, tungkol dito sa mga kaso kung saan sila ay lumalapit para matanggap bilang testigo estado (At the moment, we see no need to have them discharged as state witnesses in the cases where they applied as state witnesses),' Fadullon explained.
Source: Philippines News Agency
