Dismissed DPWH Engineer Returns P110M in Illicit Funds to Government

Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara has returned P110 million in cash to the national government after admitting his involvement in a multimillion-peso corruption scheme tied to flood control infrastructure projects.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed that the money was turned over on Friday, November 28, 2025, through Alcantara’s legal counsel. Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida personally received the cash, which forms part of the amount that Alcantara allegedly amassed from the illegal scheme.

In a press briefing, Vida said the returned funds represent a portion of the P300 million that Alcantara committed to restitute to the government based on the transactions he disclosed to investigators.

“Ang restitution may kinukwento sila na mga transaction, based on that ‘yung mga na-accumulate nila, based on those transactions. Kaya ito, this is part of the P300 million committed amount for restitution only for those particularly cases na minention niya,” Vida explained.

He noted that a DOJ panel is currently evaluating Alcantara’s sworn statements and the financial details surrounding each project to determine the exact amount that must be returned.

“May panel evaluating [how much money should be returned]. Simple lang po: kapag sinabi niya, ‘Nag-deliver ako ng ganto, total P1 billion, at dito sa deliver ko na ito may kinita ako na two percent,’ kasama kasi yun sa salaysay niya. Kaya inuuri namin ang mga salaysay kung makatotohanan ba o hindi, at doon binabase ang restitution,” he added.

According to Vida, the DOJ is convinced—based on Alcantara’s testimony and corroborating documents—that he is liable to return P300 million. He clarified that the amount is limited only to the specific transactions detailed in Alcantara’s sworn accounts.

Despite Alcantara’s cooperation and his provisional admission to the DOJ’s Witness Protection Program, Vida stressed that the former district engineer does not enjoy blanket immunity from prosecution.

“Kaya ‘pag may nadiskubre kami na siya ay sangkot pa sa ibang usapin, na kapag binangga namin sa aming datos [which will show] nag-withhold ka pala sa amin ng information, kasangkot ka rin pala dito, hindi siya abswelto sa pananagutan doon. Ang immunity po ng witness protection program—yung provisional admission na binigay ngayon ng DOJ—ay patungkol lamang sa mga usapin na iyon,” Vida said.

Following the turnover, the money will be placed under the custody of the Bureau of the Treasury for counting and validation. DOJ officials said the process ensures transparency and provides a clear audit trail for the restituted government funds.

Alcantara had earlier disclosed a money-making scheme involving public funds allocated for DPWH flood control projects. In his testimony, he admitted facilitating kickbacks and delivering portions of these public funds to several officials.

He claimed that retired DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, and Caloocan Second District Representative Mary Mitzi “Mitch” Cajayon-Uy were among the beneficiaries of the alleged kickbacks.

The accusations have widened the scope of the DOJ’s ongoing probe into suspected anomalies within DPWH’s infrastructure projects.

Vida also said that based on their computations, Bernardo stands to return not less than P1 billion to the government.

He confirmed that Bernardo had designated a bank account containing P7 million to the DOJ, although the account has been frozen by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

In a parallel statement, Bernardo corroborated key parts of Alcantara’s testimony and further implicated additional lawmakers.

He tagged Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero and former Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla and Nancy Binay in the alleged irregularities surrounding flood control project funds.

The DOJ has yet to issue formal complaints, but officials said more actions are expected as investigators continue validating statements and reviewing financial records.