Ex-DPWH official tags more senators in flood-control scam – BusinessWorld Online
A former Public Works undersecretary has implicated more lawmakers in a multibillion-peso kickback scheme tied to flood-control projects.
At a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on Thursday, former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto R. Bernardo named Senators Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero, Ramon “Bong” B. Revilla, Jr., and former Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay as among those who benefited from budget insertions.
The lawmakers had demanded as much as 20% in commissions, he said, while also accused Party-list Rep. Elizaldy S. Co of getting a cut from project funds.
Mr. Bernardo admitted his role in the scam. “I made a mistake and allowed myself to be used as a tool in wrongdoing,” he told senators.
Mr. Escudero was replaced as Senate president earlier this month after he admitted receiving campaign donations from a contractor but denied influencing contract awards.
Mr. Revilla has also denied any hand in the flood control scam, while Mr. Co, who is overseas, has called the allegations against him “false and baseless.”
The Philippine Senate is investigating irregularities in the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) flood-mitigation projects, which have received about P500 billion since 2022.
Critics have warned that corruption undermines disaster preparedness at a time when the Philippines, battered by an average of 20 storms annually, is ranked the world’s most disaster-prone country in the world. — Adrian H. Halili
