Courtroom testimony of contractor Sally Santos on P1.72 billion payments to ex-DPWH engineer during Revilla bail hearing.
Courtroom testimony of contractor Sally Santos on P1.72 billion payments to ex-DPWH engineer during Revilla bail hearing.
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Contractor testifies on P1.72 billion payment to ex-DPWH engineer

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Sally Santos, owner of SYMS Construction, testified at the Sandiganbayan on April 8 that she delivered nearly P1.72 billion to former DPWH engineer Brice Hernandez from 42 projects. This occurred during the bail hearing for former senator Bong Revilla and others in a malversation case over a ghost P92.8-million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan. The court questioned her credibility.

Sally Santos testified before the Sandiganbayan's Third Division in Manila on Wednesday, April 8, during the bail hearing for former senator Ramon Revilla Jr., Brice Hernandez, and other DPWH officials over a P92.8-million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.

Santos said that from the P1.8 billion paid by the government to SYMS for 42 projects in 2024-2025, she delivered P1.72 billion to Hernandez, keeping a P80 million royalty fee. The largest single payout exceeded P400 million, withdrawn from Landbank in five hours. She admitted lending her contractor's license for projects pre-selected by Hernandez.

Justices, including Associates Ronald Moreno and Karl Miranda, questioned Santos' credibility due to her inability to recall contract details since obtaining her license in 2021. "We are very concerned about your credibility," Miranda said. Santos confirmed SYMS secured 157 projects, but 90 percent involved only license lending, half government-related.

Santos, a state witness, returned P20 million to the DOJ on March 31 and is selling properties for further restitution. She claimed Hernandez blamed former DPWH engineer Henry Alcantara for the ghost projects.

Apa yang dikatakan orang

X discussions center on state witness Sally Santos' testimony at Sandiganbayan about delivering P1.72 billion to ex-DPWH engineer Brice Hernandez for 42 flood control projects, including a single P400 million payment. News outlets shared videos and details, describing it as 'explosive' or highlighting the scale. Some posts express shock at the amounts, question Hernandez's connection to former Sen. Bong Revilla in the ghost project malversation case, and tag it as a corruption issue. Reactions are mostly neutral reporting with underlying skepticism toward government procurement.

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Senator Lacson formally hands over Cabral documents to Ombudsman and DOJ officials during DPWH ghost projects probe in the Senate.
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In the ongoing Senate probe into alleged DPWH budget insertions for ghost flood control projects, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson has handed over documents linked to the late former undersecretary Catalina Cabral to authorities including the Ombudsman and DOJ. He urged restraint in public discussions, while a contractor paid P15 million in restitution via the Witness Protection Program.

Henry Alcantara, a former district engineer at the DPWH Bulacan regional office and now a state witness, will testify in the malversation trial against resigned lawmaker and fugitive Zaldy Co and 15 others over an alleged substandard P289.5-million flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

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The Department of Justice announced that three flood control cases against SYMS Construction Trading and former DPWH officials have been transferred to Quezon City Regional Trial Court branches. DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez said the cases were originally filed in Bulacan courts in January and February. Pre-trial hearings are set for April.

In a new development in the DPWH flood control scandal probe—following Sen. Lacson’s handover of the late undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral’s documents—the legal counsel of Cabral revealed that House leaders, particularly Rep. Elizaldy Co, overrode a parametric formula designed to eliminate discretion in district budget allocations.

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Sarah Discaya, arrested last week over a P96.5-million 'ghost' flood control project in Davao Occidental, faces arraignment on graft and malversation charges on January 13, 2025, before a Cebu court. Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto has accused her camp of intimidating potential witnesses amid broader corruption concerns.

A coalition of activists filed a graft complaint with the Ombudsman on Monday, March 30, against former undersecretaries Adrian Bersamin and Trygve Olaivar over an alleged multibillion-peso kickback scheme in flood control projects. The complaint draws from testimonies by former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo. The Ombudsman is also investigating them for plunder conspiracy.

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The Department of Public Works and Highways plans to blacklist up to 60 contractors amid a major infrastructure corruption scandal. This move aims to cleanse the agency after billions of pesos were allegedly stolen through fake flood control projects. The Palace has assured that the country's infrastructure development will proceed uninterrupted.

 

 

 

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