Philippines: ₱600m kickbacks 'delivered' to Senator Villanueva's staff; Estrada, Revilla, Zaldy Co named in probe into ghost infra projects

Manila: Two days after the unprecedented multi-city protests which drew tens of thousands condemning ghost projects and kickbacks, more damning details have emerged from the on-going probe implicating senior politicians.

This time, Henry Alcantara, former district engineer of Bulacan province and a key figure in the on-going probe, has specifically named Senator Joel Villanueva as the recipient of ₱600 million ($10.5 million) taken from a ghost flood control project.

In his Senate testimony, Alcantara admitted having given the amount, in cash, as "assistance" to Senator Joel Villanueva, via an intermediary.

Alcantara said the cash was turned over "somewhere in Bocaue", a town in Bulacan, which has seen frequent flooding.

During the Tuesday hearing, Alcantara also specifically pinned two active Senators and a former senator as recipients of kickbacks, often referred to in local parlance as tongpats, or "obligasyon".

Alcantara claimed that in the case of Villanueva, the lawmaker "did not know" the funds came from the ghost flood control budget.

The testimony has far-reaching implications: Alcantara, in effect, has confirmed the system of so-called "midnight budget insertions".

This system, done in complete anonymity, allows lawmakers to rejig the national budget in order to secure kickbacks from phoney, or lemon projects.

In a stunning turn at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Tuesday (September 23, 2025), the former DPWH engineer confessed that he funnelled 25% kickbacks from flood control funds to the staff of Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, as well as former Senator Bong Revilla— acting, he claimed, under direct orders from Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo.

The senators denied any involvement or knowledge of the funds' origins.

During the hearing, Committee Chair Panfilo Lacson clashed with Senator Rodante Marcoleta over impartiality concerns, while the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) reported document tampering at a DPWH office, resulting in a suspension and nationwide record submission orders.

Alcantara, who was sacked earlier this month from his post, also mentioned former Senator Bong Revilla during the Senate hearing on flood control projects on Tuesday.

“Ayon kay Usec. Bernardo ang GAA insertions noong 2024 na nagkakahalaga ng ₱300 million, sabi niya po sa akin para kay Senator Bong Revilla na noon ay kumandidato bilang senador sa 2025,” he said. “‘Yun po ay ayon kay Usec. Bernardo. Never ko pong nakakausap si Senator Bong Revilla, never po,” he added.

(Translation: According to Usec Bernardo, the General Appropriations Act insertions in 2024 amounting to ₱300 million, he told me that it's for Senator Bong Revilla, who was then running as a senator in 2025. I never talked to Senator Bong Revilla. Never.")

Richard Heydarian, a political pundit and social media commentator, has described the the culture of kickbacks, potentially hitting $10 billion, in the Philippines as something akin to "multiple organ failure".

Brice Hernandez, a former assistant district engineer, also confirmed what's already an open secret in the Philippines.

When asked by Senator Bam Aquino to confirm whether or not all government projects are substandard, Hernandez said "Opo (yes), Your Honour, kasi lahat po ito may obligasyon na kailangan itago (because all of these have obligations that are needed to be hidden)."

Hernandez also confirmed that plans for flood-control projects were never implemented as per specs since 2019, when DPWH District Engineer Henry Alcantara joined the office.

Actor-turned-Senator Robin Padilla, meanwhile, has urged the Department of Justice to "protect" ("pangalagaan") Alcantara.

Meanwhile, Retired Justice Andres Reyes, head of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI), has condemned the reporting tampering of DPWH documents to cover the track of corruption within the agency.