NBI recommends filing of criminal raps vs Villanueva, Estrada, Co, DPWH officials in flood control mess
Metro Manila, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has recommended the filing of criminal charges against Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, and two former public works officials following a scathing affidavit that implicated lawmakers in supposed budget insertions from flood control projects.
Justice Secretary Boying Remulla on Tuesday, Sept. 23 said the charges include graft and corruption, indirect bribery, and malversation of public funds.
Also included in the criminal complaints are former Caloocan Rep. Mitch Cajayon-Uy, former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, and dismissed district engineer Henry Alcantara, who dropped the bombshell revelations during the latest Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing.
Remulla said he believes the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has issued freeze orders on the bank accounts of Villanueva, Estrada, Cajayon-Uy, Bernardo, Alcantara, and Co, who previously chaired the House Committee on Appropriations tasked to oversee the national budget.
“We treated this already as a complaint with the NBI as the endorsing agency. At the same time, we contacted the AMLC…we gave a digital file to AMLC and they already started acting on this,” he said during the Senate inquiry.
The incumbent and former lawmakers have previously denied their supposed involvement in the pocketing of public funds.
The revelations
During the inquiry, Alcantara said Bernardo was the middleman for the questionable projects under Villanueva, Estrada, and former Sen. Bong Revilla.
The dismissed DPWH official said Villanueva asked P1.5 billion for a multipurpose building in 2022 but was only given P600 million from flood control funds in the 2023 unprogrammed appropriations.
He said 25 percent was given to the proponent, adding that he handed over P150 million to Villanueva’s staff to support the senator’s “future plans.”
“Hindi alam ni Sen. Joel na flood control ang naibigay sa kanya,” said Alcantara.
[Translation: Sen. Joel didn’t know it was from flood control projects.]
Alcantara also said Bernardo informed him during the 2024 budget hearing about a P355-million insertion attributed to Estrada for projects in Bulacan. He clarified that he had no direct dealings with the lawmaker.
He said Bernardo told him in 2024 that a P300-million insertion was allotted for Revilla who was seeking re-election at the time.
Instead of the usual 25 percent for proponents, he said Revilla’s kickback was 30 percent, equivalent to P90 million, to boost his election bid. The former senator lost in the 2025 midterm elections.
Meanwhile, Alcantara said from 2022 to 2025, former House appropriations chairman Co has inserted funds in the Bulacan first district engineering office worth P35 billion:
+ P519 million in 2022
+P12.9 billion (2023)
+ P14.2 billion (2024)
+ P7.4 billion (2025)
He said the party-list representative introduced the insertions through the national expenditure program, the bicameral conference committee, and unprogrammed allocations.
“Sa bawat proyekto na ipinapasok ni Cong. Zaldy, mayroon akong binibigay na obligasyon sa kanya para sa pondo base sa aming kasunduan,” saying the commission began at 20 percent in 2022, and went up to 25 percent in the following years.
[Translation: For every project that Congressman Zaldy initiates, I gave him an “obligation” based on the funds we agreed upon.]
Co has been out of the public eye since his name was dragged into the flood control scandal. He is seeking medical treatment in the United States, but the House of Representatives has revoked his travel authority and ordered him to return to the country.
Cajayon-Uy’s name was also in Alcantara’s affidavit, for her alleged P411 million budget insertion in 2022.
NewsWatch Plus has reached out to the lawmakers.
Revilla has rejected the allegations against him.
NewsWatch Plus senior correspondent Eimor Santos and correspondent Lance Mejico contributed to this report.
