Former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr., former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez, and five others were charged with malversation through the falsification of documents and graft over the alleged P92.8-million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavan, in a press conference, said the respondents conspired to facilitate the release of approximately P76 million for the supposed construction of a flood control project in Purok 5, Barangay Bunsuran, Pandi, Bulacan…a project which, based on official inspection and witness accounts, was never implemented.”

Aside from Revilla and Hernandez, listed respondents in the case include:

• Engr. Jaypee Mendoza
• Engr. Arjay Domasig
• Engr. Emelita Juat
• DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office, finance section chief Juanito Mendoza, and
• DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office cashier Christina Pineda

“Despite the absence of any actual construction, the respondents declared the project completed. Thereafter, to facilitate the release of the entire project cost, the respondents are found to have falsified accomplishment reports, issued fraudulent billing documents, and endorsed disbursement vouchers,” Clavano said.

Clavano said the P92.8 million project was awarded to the contractor on March 28, 2025.

The Assistant Ombudsman also noted that, as a result of the filing of charges against Revilla and six others, Ombudsman prosecutors filed an urgent motion for the special raffle of the cases they had filed, meaning the process by which the filed cases are raffled to determine which of the seven Sandiganbayan Divisions will handle the cases.

In the same urgent motion, Clavano said Ombudsman prosecutors also asked the anti-graft court to immediately issue a warrant for arrest and hold departure order against all seven accused.

“The Office of the Ombudsman is steadfast in its commitment to enforce accountability where public funds are concerned. This [filing of charges] should send a clear message: those who misuse public funds will be held accountable under the law,” Clavano said.

Ahead of the filing of charges against Revilla, former DPWH Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara testified before a Senate inquiry that then Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo asked him to set aside a P30 million cut for then Senator  Revilla for a P300 million project.

Likewise, Alcantara told the same Senate inquiry that Bernardo also asked him to add project proponents, given the huge allocation given to Bulacan district engineering office

“Sinabihan ako ni Usec Bernardo, kay Senator Bong ‘yan, baka gusto mo tumulong sa kanya. Dagdagan mo ang proponent, ikaw na bahala,” Alcantara said.

(Usec Bernardo told me that those amounts are for Senator Bong. Maybe you want to help him. Bring in more proponents; it is up to you.)

Alcantara, however, clarified that he never communicated with Revilla.

“Never ko po nakakausap si Senator Bong Revilla. Never po,” he said.

(I never talked to Senator Revilla.)

Bernardo, also during a Senate inquiry, said that he gave Revilla a list of projects in 2024 and that Revilla asked for a “commitment” fee pegged at 25% of the project cost. Bernardo also said that  Alcantara then collected the 25% commitment or about P125 million, which was delivered to Revilla’s house in Cavite.

Alcantara and Bernardo have been listed as state witnesses in the flood control cases on Thursday, January 15.

The criminal charges filed against Revilla are the second batch of flood control-related criminal cases filed by the Ombudsman prosecutors before the Sandiganbayan.

Cases against public officials under Salary Grade 27 and higher are filed before the Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court.

Revilla, as a senator at the time, is under Salary Grade 31.