Witness says Romualdez excluded from flood-control kickback scheme
A prosecution witness testified that former Speaker Martin Romualdez was not listed among the beneficiaries of alleged P5 billion flood-control kickbacks.
In a bail petition hearing, engineer Carlo Rivera testified before the Sandiganbayan Third Division that the P5 billion in commitment fees collected from contractors were first delivered to his superior Henry Alcantara and then to former House appropriations panel chair Zaldy Co. Rivera said Co distributed the funds to flood-control project proponents, specifically DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, former Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., and himself, but not to former Speaker Martin Romualdez. He provided a breakdown of the fees collected each year: P519 million in 2022, P12.93 billion in 2023, P14.19 billion in 2024, and P7.385 billion in 2025. Rivera also named the contractors involved, including Topnotch Catalyst Builders, ARL Builders, Wawao Builders, IM Construction Corp., and SYMS Construction Trading.
Why it matters
The testimony could shape the outcome of a P7.4 billion plunder case involving high-level officials.
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