MANILA, Philippines – John Carlo Rivera, 31, a suspended engineer from Bulacan’s 1st District Engineering Office, said former Department of Public Works (DPWH) undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and former district engineer Henry Alcantara could be behind the flood control kickback scheme in Bulacan.

“I think so,” the suspended engineer said on Tuesday, June 2, when asked by Sandiganbayan 3rd Division senior member Associate Justice Ronald Moreno if he thinks the two devised the scheme.

“Kung sino ‘yong gumawa, I hate to say, kung sino ang gumawa ng katarantaduhan [‘yon ang] binigyan ng immunity (The perpetrators, I hate to say, it was the perpetrators of stupidity who were given immunity),” said Moreno.

Bernardo and Alcantara are two of the prosecution’s state witnesses in the flood control corruption cases. They have been taking the witness stand since the hearings started in January for the malversation and graft charges against former senator Bong Revilla and former DPWH officials Brice Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza, and others.

The Tuesday hearing was the latest instance that the 3rd Division, which handles Revilla’s malversation case, cast doubt on state witnesses. The justices previously raised concerns on the credibility of state witnesses District Engineer Gerard Opulencia and SYMS contractor Sally Santos.

On April 8, 3rd Division chairperson Associate Justice Karl Miranda said that “the court is concerned about [Santos’] credibility.”

Rivera, who was subpoenaed by the prosecutors, said he allegedly contacted contractors to secure commitments under Alcantara’s instructions. He said the former district engineer had the say on the percentage of the commitment to the contractors.

He claimed that contractors allegedly delivered commitments to him, which he later delivered to Alcantara. Rivera said he delivered the money through boxes and paper bags.

Rivera said based on estimates, he allegedly delivered around 50 times to Alcantara. Every delivery varied, but the amount could sometimes reach around P10 million.

According to the witness, he also prepared the list of projects assigned to the contractors. In exchange, Rivera said he received P10,000 every month.

He, however, clarified that he had no direct communication with Bernardo. – Rappler.com