DAVAO CITY 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte questioned the government’s handling of the P110 million returned by dismissed DPWH district engineer Henry Alcantara, saying he doubts the money was amassed without help.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Duterte said it was “implausible” for Alcantara to collect such an amount alone. “Hindi kami tanga. Hindi ka makaipon ng P110 million nang ikaw lang. May padrino, may protector, may financier. Alam ng taumbayan ‘yan,” he wrote.
He added that while smaller players are returning funds, those he described as “bigger operators” remain silent. “’Yung malalaking mandurugas, tahimik, hindi kumikibo, hindi nagpapakita,” he said.
Duterte further questioned the administration’s anti-corruption stance and name-dropped several lawmakers whom he accused of manipulating budgets. He urged them to “return their part” if the government is serious about accountability.
He said the return of the funds appeared to be “damage control” meant to deflect attention from bigger issues of corruption.
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said Alcantara is expected to return an additional P200 million in the next two weeks, on top of the initial P110 million.
