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Advocates Philippines
Bernardo, Opulencia, Alcantara Cleared As State Witnesses In Estrada Flood Control Case
FILE
The Office of the Ombudsman has excluded several former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials from the criminal charges tied to the government’s widening flood control corruption scandal after they were admitted into the Department of Justice’s Witness Protection Program (WPP).
Removed from the complaints were former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, former National Capital Region Director Gerard Opulencia, and former Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara, who prosecutors said would instead serve as state witnesses in the case.
The Ombudsman on Thursday formally filed plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan against Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan over alleged irregularities involving flood control and infrastructure projects worth hundreds of millions of pesos.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the charges stemmed from an alleged scheme involving illegal budget insertions, manipulated project allocations, and rigged bidding processes within the DPWH infrastructure portfolio for fiscal year 2025. Prosecutors alleged that public funds were funneled into selected projects in exchange for kickbacks and commissions.
Former DPWH Undersecretary Catalina Cabral was also dropped from the complaints following her death in December 2025, which extinguished criminal liability under Philippine law.
Earlier findings from the Department of Justice stated that Bernardo, Opulencia, and Alcantara possessed vital personal knowledge that could help unravel the alleged bid-rigging and corruption scheme inside the DPWH. Their admission into the Witness Protection Program allows them to provide testimony in exchange for protection and possible immunity from prosecution.
The criminal complaints originated from a preliminary investigation conducted by the NBI-DOJ Public Works and Bid-Rigging Task Force. Investigators cited legislative records, sworn testimonies, and transcripts from Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings that allegedly detailed irregular project allocations and supposed “30-percent cuts” connected to regional flood control projects.
Aside from plunder charges under Republic Act 7080, prosecutors also recommended graft charges under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as well as direct bribery and corruption of public officials under the Revised Penal Code.
Estrada has denied wrongdoing and vowed to fight the charges in court, claiming there were irregularities in the investigation and insisting there was no proof he inserted projects into the national budget.
Removed from the complaints were former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, former National Capital Region Director Gerard Opulencia, and former Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara, who prosecutors said would instead serve as state witnesses in the case.
The Ombudsman on Thursday formally filed plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan against Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan over alleged irregularities involving flood control and infrastructure projects worth hundreds of millions of pesos.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the charges stemmed from an alleged scheme involving illegal budget insertions, manipulated project allocations, and rigged bidding processes within the DPWH infrastructure portfolio for fiscal year 2025. Prosecutors alleged that public funds were funneled into selected projects in exchange for kickbacks and commissions.
Former DPWH Undersecretary Catalina Cabral was also dropped from the complaints following her death in December 2025, which extinguished criminal liability under Philippine law.
Earlier findings from the Department of Justice stated that Bernardo, Opulencia, and Alcantara possessed vital personal knowledge that could help unravel the alleged bid-rigging and corruption scheme inside the DPWH. Their admission into the Witness Protection Program allows them to provide testimony in exchange for protection and possible immunity from prosecution.
The criminal complaints originated from a preliminary investigation conducted by the NBI-DOJ Public Works and Bid-Rigging Task Force. Investigators cited legislative records, sworn testimonies, and transcripts from Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings that allegedly detailed irregular project allocations and supposed “30-percent cuts” connected to regional flood control projects.
Aside from plunder charges under Republic Act 7080, prosecutors also recommended graft charges under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as well as direct bribery and corruption of public officials under the Revised Penal Code.
Estrada has denied wrongdoing and vowed to fight the charges in court, claiming there were irregularities in the investigation and insisting there was no proof he inserted projects into the national budget.
May 28, 2026
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