In a tense Senate hearing, a 30-year veteran of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) took the stand, not as an accused, but as a whistleblower. With a voice heavy with apprehension, District Engineer Alcantara began his testimony with a plea for the safety of his family, foreshadowing the gravity of the bombshells he was about to drop. What followed was a stunning, detailed confession that blew the lid off a multi-billion peso kickback scheme, implicating high-ranking officials and some of the most prominent names in Philippine politics.

At the center of Alcantara’s exposé is a systemic “tongpats” or kickback operation allegedly orchestrated by his long-time superior, DPWH Undersecretary Roberto “Yusek” Bernardo. According to Alcantara’s sworn statement, Bernardo would facilitate the allocation of massive project funds to his Bulacan district with a clear-cut agreement: a 25% “proponent’s share,” or kickback, was to be returned to him in cash. From 2022 to 2025, Alcantara detailed how billions of pesos in funds were funneled through his office, with hundreds of millions allegedly delivered by him or his driver to Bernardo.

The testimony took a sensational turn as Alcantara claimed Bernardo used the names of several high-profile senators to source and justify these funds. He recounted how Bernardo informed him of an available ₱355 million from Senator Jinggoy “SJE” Estrada’s allocations, with the 25% kickback going directly to Bernardo. In another instance, he detailed how Senator Bong Revilla’s name was used to channel a ₱300 million flood control project, with Bernardo allegedly encouraging him to increase the kickback from 25% to 30% as a “tulong” or help for the senator’s future campaign. In both cases, Alcantara was adamant: he never had any direct contact or transaction with either senator. The deals, he claimed, were exclusively with Undersecretary Bernardo.

Perhaps the most shocking allegation involved Senator Joel Villanueva. Alcantara testified that when the senator’s ₱1.5 billion request for a multipurpose building could not be funded, he and Bernardo concocted a deceptive workaround. They allegedly assigned ₱600 million worth of flood control projects—a type of project Villanueva reportedly dislikes—to his name without his knowledge. The real purpose, Alcantara claimed, was to generate a ₱150 million kickback. Alcantara confessed he personally delivered the cash to a staffer at the senator’s rest house in Bulacan, deceitfully framing it as his own personal donation for the senator’s “future plans.”

While the allegations against the senators were explosive, the centerpiece of the testimony was the staggering ₱35 billion in projects allegedly funneled to his district and others by a powerful congressman, identified as “Cong Saldi.” From 2022 to 2025, Alcantara claimed he collected a 20-25% kickback on these projects. He then confirmed the authenticity of two viral photos that had circulated online: one showing stacks of cash on a conference table, and another with money piled high on a billiard table. These, he said, were kickback payments for “Cong Saldi,” with one photo representing a 10% advance payment of ₱579 million.

Alcantara described a sophisticated and clandestine delivery system, coordinated through disappearing Viber messages with the congressman’s aides, with drop-offs in the parking lot of the Shangri-La Hotel or directly at the congressman’s residence in the exclusive Valle Verde 6 village in Pasig.

As he concluded his testimony and signed his sworn statement, Engineer Alcantara reiterated that he was acting “in good faith” to cooperate with the investigation. His detailed confession, connecting powerful names to viral images of mountains of cash, has ripped the curtain back on what could be one of the largest and most systemic corruption scandals in recent memory, promising a political firestorm and a long, arduous search for the truth.