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Marc Jayson Cayabyab - The Philippine Star
March 18, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson will testify in the Senate Blue Ribbon committee’s flood control corruption probe, Senate President Panfilo Lacson said yesterday.
The Blue Ribbon panel’s April 14 hearing could be held “much earlier,” Lacson said.
“(Singson) sent a letter indicating he wanted to testify. I said yes, if you are testifying on flood control projects, we will schedule a hearing. Tentatively, we scheduled it for April 14. But if we can hold it much earlier, why not?” Lacson said.
Singson went to Lacson’s office on Monday to express his interest to testify. Singson has not yet submitted a signed affidavit, Lacson said.
“He’s a former governor. I leave it up to him to justify his presence. You’ll see the credibility or incredibility, whichever the case, of what he’s about to say,” Lacson said.
As for the 18 men who claimed they had delivered kickbacks in cash to President Marcos and other officials, Lacson said he would consult his colleagues about inviting them to the inquiry.
The 18 alleged bagmen could be invited if they are willing to amend their previous testimonies and make their claims more realistic, Lacson maintained.
Lacson had cast doubt on their claims of delivering P805 billion in cash as it would be a logistical nightmare to transport.
Returning yesterday to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to support their claims, the 18 men and their lawyer Levito Baligod submitted documents, including employment contracts and screenshots of alleged communications.
“They agreed to be interviewed individually and to provide their own accounts,” Baligod said. “For now, there are no individual affidavits.”
Co’s P130 million ‘token’
Meanwhile, former public works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo has testified to receiving P130 million from fugitive Zaldy Co.
In his first testimony as a state witness before the Sandiganbayan Sixth Division, Bernardo said the former congressman sent him money as a “token of gratitude.”
The balato is supposedly his share of proceeds from anomalous flood control projects.
Of the P130 million, Bernardo said he received P10 million annually from former public works Mimaropa regional director Gerald Pacanan, from 2023 to 2025.
From 2023 to 2024, Bernardo obtained P40 million yearly from former Bulacan public works engineer Henry Alcantara, who has also been accepted as a state witness.
In 2025, Bernardo acquired P20 million.
Pacanan and Alcantara told him the money came from Co for vouching for the both of them in “dealings” on flood control projects, Bernardo recalled.
Co, who remains at large, and his co-accused are facing malversation charges for the P289.5-million substandard flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
At a press briefing, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Bernardo’s immunity as a state witness is only on a case-by-case basis, not a “blanket immunity.”
“If there will come a time that we find out that he’s not telling the truth and that he’s the most guilty, then he will also have to be charged for that case,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has concluded its preliminary investigation into the three malversation complaints filed by the NBI against Sen. Joel Villanueva.
Charges stem from the alleged misuse of funds for a flood control project in Bulacan undertaken by Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc.
The DOJ has referred its resolution to the Office of the Ombudsman for review.
In former senator Bong Revilla’s plunder case, four people have been included in the complaint as respondents: former public works engineers Denryl Caesar Cortuna, Manny Bulusan, Ruel Umali and Arturo Gonzales Jr. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Daphne Galvez
