MANILA — The National Bureau of Investigation has recommended the filing of indirect bribery and malversation charges against Sen. Joel Villanueva, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co after they were implicated by former Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara in alleged budget insertions and kickbacks for flood control projects.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the NBI’s recommendation for prosecution also included Alcantara, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, and former Caloocan Second District Rep. Mitch Lim Cajayon-Uy.
In a sworn statement read in a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing earlier in the day, Alcantara accused lawmakers of getting 25 to 30 percent of proposed budget insertions for flood control projects.
He said he had no direct dealings with some of the lawmakers, as the payoffs were allegedly delivered to DPWH's Bernardo beginning in 2022.
“We determined that the NBI would be investigating it and at the outset they recommended the filing of charges already. We treated this already as a complaint with the NBI as the endorsing agency,” Remulla said of Alcantara’s sworn statement.
Remulla added that the Anti–Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has issued freeze orders for the bank accounts of those implicated by Alcantara.
The DOJ is still looking into the case of Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Mario Lipana and his spouse who was a contractor “since it was only touched upon by Engineer Alcantara,” Remulla said.
Villanueva said he was "fully prepared to be investigated in these allegations."
"I have nothing to hide and I welcome any inquiry that will bring out the truth,” said Villanueva in a Senate session.
"If we carefully review what transpired this morning, it was clear from Mr. Alcantara’s own statements that hindi ako nag-request ng kahit anong flood control project. Wala akong alam, at hindi rin ako kailanman sinabihan tungkol sa mga proyektong ’yan—ang request po ay multi-purpose buildings para sa aking mga kababayan sa Bulacan, hindi flood control," he said.
Co said the allegations were “false and baseless."
"I reserve my right to respond to these allegations at the proper time before the proper forum,” he said in a statement.
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