Ex-DPWH engineers, Discayas now considered ‘protected witnesses’ by DOJ

MANILA, September 25 ------ Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, and Jaypee Mendoza, as well as contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya are now considered “protected witnesses.”

The three engineers went to the DOJ for evaluation under the Witness Protection Program this week following the continuation of their testimonies at the Senate, where they implicated several lawmakers in alleged budget insertions and kickbacks for flood control projects. “Kasama iyan sa evaluation, pero we consider them already protected witnesses iyong tatlong taga-DPWH so far na nagsasalita sa amin are considered protected witness. We just wrote a letter to the Senate President about that status,” Remulla said.

Hernandez and Mendoza were at the DOJ Wednesday morning. Remulla said both men showed up in good faith, and with documents and notes. Hernandez also brought his computer's central processing unit (CPU) to the DOJ. "Na-turnover na, nakuha na namin ang impormasyon na kinakailangan at na-seal na namin uli sapagkat kung nais buksan iyan uli sa Senado kung hihilingin nila, sino ba naman kami para tumanggi," said Remulla. Remulla added that the Discaya couple can now also be considered as protected witnesses. “Pwede na rin silang protected witness, iyan ang susunod naming aanuhin. Pero iyong state witness status kasi, we are very careful about that, it takes a lot of doing to declare a person a state witness,” Remulla said.

Remulla said the DOJ would have arrangements with the Senate which would retain custody of the individuals cited in contempt by the Blue-Ribbon Committee. “Ang protected witness kasi, kaya ginawa ang witness protection program, para ang mga testigo sa mga kaso ay hindi masaktan at hindi pagtangkaan ang buhay, kaya iyan ay isang katungkulan na aming tinutupad,” Remulla said.

Senator Erwin Tulfo supported the DOJ's move. "Kung protected witness, I believe mas makakasalita nang malaya ang tatlong DPWH pati sila Discaya kasi yun hinihingi nilang protection para ibigay nila ang ledger. So, I believe tama lang ang direction nito," he said.

The senator is amenable to turning over the custody of Mr. Discaya, Alcantara, Hernandez and Mendoza to the DOJ. Meanwhile, former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo is set to testify on Thursday, September 25, and Tulfo believes his testimony will be vital: "Siya ang magiging susi diyan kasi siya ang naglagay sa kanila dito sa Bulacan."

As for former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who was mentioned by Curlee Discaya in a prior hearing of the Blue-Ribbon Committee, Tulfo said: "Nabanggit yan ni Curlee Discaya doon sa ledger niya pero puro mga tao nila, puro ganoon. Kaya nga we want to see the ledger sana." "Ayaw niya ibigay yung ledger so ibigay lang doon niya kapag may protection na siya. So we'll see from there. So baka hindi lang kay Zaldy (Co), all the way hanggang kay Speaker na," he added.

Curlee Discaya has previously said that he did not deal directly with Romualdez, but politicians they had transactions with "name-dropped" him.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com