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Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida speaks to reporters on March 31, 2026.
Philstar.com / John Unson
MANILA, Philippines — More than P611 million worth of funds linked to alleged anomalous flood control projects have been recovered by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
In a press briefing on Tuesday, March 31, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said that a total of P611,381,500 in funds "allegedly stolen was returned to the DOJ and deposited into the national treasury."
The amount came from the surrendered figure through restitution by those who are implicated in the alleged anomalous flood control projects, and some frozen assets, according to DOJ Spokesperson Polo Martinez.cor
With regard to frozen assets, Martinez clarified that those are the assets previously assigned to the department by Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo.
Martinez explained that these "assigned" items refer to valuable frozen assets that could not be liquidated at the time they were seized, but have since undergone a formal valuation and consideration process to reach that final amount.
The following is the breakdown of the P611,381,500:
- Roberto Bernardo: P290,000,000
- Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) District Engineer Henry Alcantara: P181,379,500
- Syms Construction Owner Sally Santos: P20,000,000
- DPWH NCR Regional Director Gerard Opulencia: P120,002,000
Vida also reported that of the 24 flood control-related cases handled by the DOJ, six malversation, graft and tax cases were filed in courts; nine were referred to the Office of the Ombudsman and six are submitted for resolution.
Two plunder cases are also under preliminary investigation, according to Vida.
