P1.72B delivered to Brice Hernandez for flood control projects – state witness

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State witness and contractor Sally Santos says Hernandez allegedly secured 42 projects through SYMS, amounting to around P1.8 billion

MANILA, Philippines – State witness and SYMS contractor Sally Santos confirmed on Wednesday, April 8, that she had allegedly delivered more or less P1.72 billion to former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPHW) assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez for flood control projects.

Santos answered “yes” when asked by Sandiganbayan 3rd Division member Associate Justice Ronald Moreno if she delivered the said amount to Hernandez.

The anti-graft court division is holding a series of hearings for the bail petition of former senator Bong Revilla and former DPWH officials over their malversation case that stemmed from a P92.8-million ghost flood control project in Bulacan. They face a separate graft case with the 4th Division, but this case is bailable, so Revilla and others were able to post bail.

During the Senate investigation in 2025, Santos confirmed that some of the DPWH projects that went to her firm were actually in-house projects of engineers such as Hernandez.

She said she only lent her license for these projects, and the payments instead went to some DPWH engineers. According to Santos, she charged a 3% cut for lending her license and then gave the rest of the money to whoever borrowed her license.

During the bail hearing, Santos expounded on her testimony and said it was Hernandez who had allegedly urged her to establish a construction firm. It was in 2024, according to the state witness, when she started lending her license to Hernandez.

Santos said Hernandez allegedly secured 42 projects through SYMS, amounting to around P1.8 billion. For this scheme, Santos said she had earned P86 million for herself.

The state witness said that before she withdrew the money, she would call the bank in advance. Once the money was available, she would spend five hours before getting the money.

The money, placed in boxes, would then be delivered to Hernandez, who would personally receive it, according to Santos.

Meanwhile, Santos also said in essence that the bidding process for the DPWH projects she got was rigged: “Halimbawa, may ibi-bid na project, sakin niya sinasabi, binibigay. Tapos nagbi-bid po ako (For example, if there’s a project up for bidding, he would tell me and give it to me. Then I would bid).

SYMS’ business model

Santos said she lent her license to Hernandez because she trusted her. She said she did not know that the infrastructure would turn out to be ghost projects.

“Every time na nagtatanong ako sa kanya (Hernandez), sinasabi niya walang problema (Every time I asked him for updates, he said everything was alright),” the state witness told the court.

During the bail hearing, it was revealed that SYMS secured 157 projects from the government since 2021. At least 42 of these 157 were under Hernandez, leaving the contractor with 115 projects.

But according to Santos, only 10% of the 115 projects (or around 11 projects) actually went to her — the rest went to other individuals who borrowed her license.

Apart from Hernandez, there were also other people from the government and private sector who had allegedly borrowed her license. Same in Hernandez’s case, she charged 3% from these contracts.

The division chairperson, Associate Justice Karl Miranda, however, reminded Santos that lending a contractor license is a violation of the law. Santos is already a state witness, so she enjoys legal immunity from the flood control cases.

Concerns over Santos’ credibility

Santos, during cross-examination with the defense and conversations with justices, struggled to answer the questions coherently. In particular, the state witness said she could not remember some details about her dealings with Hernandez.

Even with questions on bonds related to her projects as a contractor, Santos found it hard to answer with conviction.

“The court is concerned about your credibility,” Miranda told Santos.

Moreno also reminded Santos to be careful about her answers because they might affect her credibility, and the court might misconstrue that she has selective memory. But for the prosecution, questions on state witnesses’ credibility are inherently normal in proceedings.

“That’s natural. The reason why she became a state witness is because she’s involved in the crime…. They’re in the best position to testify that a crime was committed,” the prosecutors told reporters after the Wednesday hearing. – Rappler.com