By AJ Alarcon

Dismissed Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara turned in P110 million in cash, representing kickbacks from flood control projects, to the national government, Department of Justice (DOJ) officer-in-charge Fredderick Vida reported at a media conference on Friday, November 28.

The returned amount, which is a portion of the P300 million Alcantara stole from public funds, will serve as restitution.

At present, the former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineer is provisionally admitted into the witness protection program (WPP).

Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) and Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) representatives were likewise present to verify the amount.

Vida explained that the cash will undergo vetting before being remitted to the BTr to ensure the correct amount and to check for counterfeit bills.

Moreover, Vida said, “We have a panel evaluating. Medyo mathematics, simple lang po. Kapag sinabi niya, halimbawa, nag-deliver ako ng ganito ng total na P1 billion. At dito po sa deliver ko ng P1 billion, [mayroon] po akong kinitang 2%. Kasama kasi sa mga salaysay niya.”

“Inuuri namin yung salaysay, kung makatotohanan o hindi, at doon po namin binabase yung restitution,” he added.

However, the DOJ does not know how Alcantara obtained the amount he surrendered.

Alcantara is a prominent figure in the Bulacan flood control scam, where the kickback scheme involved Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Sen. Joel Villanueva, and Zaldy Co, who remains at large and is being located for arrest.