A former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) official alleged that more lawmakers are linked to kickbacks from flood control projects in his testimony before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Thursday.
Roberto Bernardo, reading from an affidavit claimed that he gave P160 million to a contractor friend of Senator Francis Escudero, handed P47 million to a DPWH engineer to an aide of then Senator Nancy Binay and gave P125 million to a DPWH engineer to the residence of then Senator Bong Revilla in Cavite.
Bernardo added that projects worth P2.85 billion were sought by a person named Trygve Olaivar who said he was for the ''Office of the ES''.
He said that former DPWH District Engineer Henry Alcantara handled cash for ex House appropriations committee chairman Zaldy Co.
A person also reportedly said he was staffer of Co, said he brought P48 million each in suitcases to Co and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
The lawmakers in Bernardo's affidavits, led by Escudero and Romualdez, all denied the allegations.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, in a statement, said ''the imputation contained in the sworn statement of DPWH Undersecretary Bernardo... about the delivery of 'agreed 15 percent commitment' 'supposedly for the Office of the Executive Secretary' is not true.''
''The OES (Office of the Executive Secretary) has no involvement in any way with budgetary allocations relevant to the DPWH. In the second place, the OES has no dealings with whatsoever Undersecretary Bernardo or DepEd Undersecretary Trygve Olaibar who has earlier denied the allegations made by Undersecretary Bernardo),'' said Bersamin.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has recommended to the NBI that Romualdez, Escudero and Binay be charged for malversation. DMS