FORMER Public Works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo is not qualified to become a state witness in the investigation into anomalous flood control projects since he was one of the alleged central operators of the scam, a cause-oriented group said Tuesday. The National Institute for Transparency and Accountability (NITA) on Tuesday appealed to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reject Bernardo’s application under the Witness Protection Program (WPP), saying that the former DPWH official is one of the most guilty, not the less guilty. NITA Executive Director Carlos Ayala said Bernardo’s own admissions indicate that he was not a mere participant but a central operator who enabled how billions of pesos in public funds were moved, allocated, and misused. “Based on his own statements, it is clear that billions of pesos passed through his hands,” Ayala said in a statement. “That alone establishes the scale of his responsibility. You do not reward a mastermind with immunity by turning him into a state witness.” The group said that while Bernardo has made accusations against various personalities, these claims remain subject to proof and judicial scrutiny. What is already evident, he added, is Bernardo’s direct control and involvement in the flow of public funds. “Accusations are easy. Evidence is what matters,” the group said. “At this point, what is clear and undisputed is that the money was under his authority. That makes him the most culpable, not the most credible witness.” In a sworn statement submitted to the Blue Ribbon Committee, Bernardo disclosed high profile public figures who allegedly benefited from the flood control scam. Among them were former Senate president Francis Escudero, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former senator and now Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay, former senator Bong Revilla, former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co, Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Mario Lipana, and Education Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar. “The Filipino people deserve more than sensational testimonies,” Ayala said. “They deserve accountability, the return of stolen funds, and a clear message that those who engineer corruption — no matter how cooperative they later claim to be — will be held fully liable.” He said genuine transparency and justice require going after the core architects of corruption, not merely using them as tools to build cases against others, reiterating NITA’s commitment to monitor the investigation and push for institutional reforms to prevent similar abuses in the future. Bernardo opted for early retirement on Aug. 15, 2025, just weeks after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. exposed the flood control scam and the top 15 contractor companies that cornered the majority of the DPWH infrastructure projects across the country. Bernardo has pledged to return the money he allegedly received from the flood control kickbacks. According to Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, Bernardo should return no less than P1 billion from the kickbacks he allegedly received from the flood control and other government infrastructure projects as part of his application in the WPP. The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) reported: “A review of Usec. Bernardo’s financial inflows and outflows from 2003 until 2025 revealed that he predominantly transacted through cash deposits, secondarily through over-the-counter withdrawals, and also through check issuances. Evidently, Usec. Bernardo’s transactions were cash intensive, which is a common manifestation of money laundering.” Aside from Bernardo, former DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office (FDEO) chief engineer Henry Alcantara also applied as state witness. Alcantara, who has already been provisionally admitted to the WPP, turned over P181 million to the DOJ as part of the restitution process in the anomalous flood control probe. Engineer Brice Hernandez, Alcantara’s assistant in the Bulacan-FDEO, also applied but later withdrew his intention to become a state witness.