Former Department of Public Works and Highways Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara testified that fugitive former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co sought to increase alleged commitment fees for government infrastructure projects from 20% to 25% around the time Martin Romualdez became House Speaker.
According to Alcantara, the increase was requested ahead of preparations for the 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the government’s proposed national budget submitted to Congress for deliberation.
The alleged five-percentage-point increase would represent an additional ₱5 million in commitment fees for every ₱100 million in project funding, raising the supposed share from ₱20 million to ₱25 million.
Alcantara further testified that the alleged kickback scheme was already operating before Romualdez became House Speaker and Co assumed leadership of the House Committee on Appropriations in 2022. Referring to the practice, he remarked,
“Kalakaran na ’to,”
indicating that the collection of alleged commitment fees had been taking place before the two lawmakers assumed their leadership positions.
Alcantara clarified that he had no direct dealings with Romualdez and coordinated only with Co and former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo.
He also said he had no personal knowledge of direct payments from the DPWH to lawmakers, explaining that any such arrangements would depend on agreements between Co and the legislators involved.
In his September 2025 sworn affidavit, Alcantara previously alleged that Co facilitated approximately 426 infrastructure projects worth at least ₱35.024 billion in Bulacan’s first district between 2022 and 2025.
He claimed that Co’s required share was initially 20% of project funding in 2022 before increasing to 25% from 2023 through 2025.
According to Alcantara, the fees were sourced from advance payments by contractors and delivered either personally or through intermediaries to Co’s representatives. The projects, he said, were funded through allocations included in the NEP, additions made during congressional budget deliberations, and unprogrammed appropriations.
Co served as chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations from 2022 to 2025, overseeing deliberations on proposed government spending.
The testimony comes as Romualdez and Co are among those charged in a ₱7.44-billion plunder case involving alleged kickbacks from government infrastructure projects.
