Dismissed DPWH engineers seek house arrest
Sacked Department of Public Works and Highways engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, and Jaypee Mendoza are seeking to be placed under house arrest, Senate President Tito Sotto said.
Sotto said that the Blue Ribbon Committee has yet to decide on the matter on the three engineers, who were cited in contempt and are currently detained at the Senate.
"We'll wait for (acting Blue Ribbon chair Sen. Erwin Tulfo)," the Senate President told reporters on Oct. 13. Tulfo is currently overseas on official business.
On the other hand, Sotto said that contractor Curlee Discaya, who is also detained, has not made a similar request. However, his camp has filed a petition for habeas corpus before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court, which gave them three days to file their memoranda on their plea.
Discaya's lawyer, Cornelio Samaniego III, told reporters that he is "confident" that the court will side with the contractor.
Hernandez was cited in contempt on Sept. 8 for supposedly lying about his casino ventures. Alcantara and Mendoza were cited in contempt on Sept. 18 for being allegedly dishonest about their role in ghost flood control projects. Discaya, meanwhile, was slammed for lying about his wife fellow contractor Sarah Discaya's reason for not attending the Blue Ribbon hearing.
Flood control mess
Hearings at the House of Representatives and the Senate revealed billions of pesos lost to corruption, which prompted the formation of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure that will investigate irregularities in flood control projects in the last 10 years.
Alcantara and Hernandez previously tagged Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Sen. Joel Villanueva, ex-Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, retired DPWH Usec. Roberto Bernardo, and former senator Bong Revilla in alleged kickbacks in anomalous flood control projects. The lawmakers have since denied the allegations.
Meanwhile, Bernardo accused Revilla, Co, former Senate President Chiz Escudero, former senator Nancy Binay, and Department of Education Usec. Trygve Olaivar of being invovled in the scheme. Escudero and Makati Mayor Binay have also denied allegations.
The Discaya couple, on the other hand, have been flagged for their involvement in "ghost" hospitals.
The Discayas, Alcantara, Hernandez, and Mendoza were made protected witnesses by the Department of Justice. (with reports from Neil Jayson Servallos)
