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Some former DPWH engineers and a contractor concerned within the flood management scandal have returned bundles of money and luxurious autos. However how does this quantity examine to what was stolen?
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has misplaced billions of pesos to corruption tied to flood management and different infrastructure initiatives, in line with authorities investigations.
Whereas many Filipinos proceed to undergo throughout floods, a small variety of officers and contractors have lived in luxurious, funded by public cash.
Investigations have revealed cash-packed suitcases delivered to politicians, piles of cash partitioned on a protracted desk in a Division of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district workplace in Bulacan, and authorities engineers playing thousands and thousands in casinos.
The Marcos administration has promised to carry these accountable accountable. A handful of people are actually in jail. Quite a few complaints are pending earlier than the Workplace of the Ombudsman. The federal government has additionally begun freezing the belongings of these allegedly concerned.
However, how a lot cash has truly been recovered?
Money recovered (working whole): P247 million
Ex-DPWH engineer Henry Alcantara: P180 million
Dismissed Bulacan 1st District engineer Henry Alcantara, implicated within the public works scandal, turned over P180 million to the federal government.
He surrendered P110 million on November 28, and one other P71 million on December 19. Alcantara has pledged to return a complete of P300 million to public coffers.
Ex-DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo: P7 million
Former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo surrendered a checking account holding P7 million to the federal government in November 2025. Nonetheless, the account stays frozen on the request of the Anti-Cash Laundering Council.
Ex-DPWH Nationwide Capital Area director Gerard Opulencia: P40 million
Former DPWH Nationwide Capital Area director Gerard Opulencia additionally turned over P40 million to the Division of Justice. He has dedicated to return at the least P150 million.
Contractor Sally Santos: P20 million
SYMS Development Buying and selling Basic Supervisor Sally Santos has returned P20 million to the federal government.
Santos first handed over P5 million on December 4, and one other P15 million on December 22. Her firm was behind multi-billion-peso ghost flood management initiatives in Bulacan.
Recovered properties
Brice Hernandez’s luxurious automobiles
Former DPWH engineer Brice Hernandez surrendered two luxurious autos — a Lamborghini and a black GMC Yukon Denali SUV — to the Unbiased Fee for Infrastructure (ICI). The GMC SUV is valued at P12 million by the fee, although it retails within the US for roughly $80,000 (round P4.5 million).
Discaya couple’s luxurious automobiles
The Bureau of Customs seized 13 luxurious automobiles from Sarah and Curlee Discaya, whose firms secured multi-billion-peso flood management contracts over the previous decade.
These autos lacked correct importation paperwork or had questionable certificates of fee. 4 of the seized automobiles have been auctioned:
• Mercedes Benz G63 AMG (2022): P15.6 million
• Mercedes Benz G500 Brabus (2019): P15.5 million
• Lincoln Navigator L (2021): P7.1 million
• Toyota Tundra: P3.48 million
• Toyota Sequoia: P6 million
The auctions generated P47.68 million, which will probably be remitted to the nationwide treasury.
Scale of losses in infra corruption
There isn’t a exact determine for the overall public cash misplaced to flood management and infrastructure corruption.
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, head of the Senate blue ribbon committee, had estimated that roughly 60% of the nation’s flood management funds have been pocketed.
Over the previous 15 years, the federal government has spent greater than P1.9 trillion on flood management underneath the DPWH. By Lacson’s estimate, the federal government has misplaced P1.14 trillion, of which solely P247 million — or 0.022% — has been recovered to this point.
Former finance chief and now Government Secretary Ralph Recto earlier positioned the financial losses at P118.5 billion over the previous two years alone.
This story will probably be up to date as the federal government recovers more cash and properties from these concerned within the infrastructure corruption. – Rappler.com
