MANILA, Philippines — In a bombshell testimony before the Sandiganbayan Third Division, a prosecution witness revealed on Thursday, April 23, 2026, that he delivered boxes and suitcases (“maleta”) allegedly filled with cash to several high-ranking officials between 2023 and 2025. The deliveries were purportedly part of a massive malversation case linked to a multi-billion-peso flood control scandal.
The witness, Vergel Nino Garcia, served as the driver and aide to former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, who has since become a state witness in the case.
Garcia testified under oath that he made numerous drop-offs at various locations, including private residences, hotels, and restaurants. The intended recipients named in his testimony include:
- Sen. Bong Revilla: 12 boxes delivered to a “White House” in Cavite in February 2025.
- Sen. Jinggoy Estrada: 12 boxes dropped off at the Artiaga Building in San Juan City in November 2024. Garcia claimed he personally saw Estrada during the unloading process.
- Ex-DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan: A total of 55 boxes delivered across three occasions—15 at Diamond Hotel (Nov 2024), 20 at an unspecified location (March 2025), and 20 at a restaurant in Tomas Morato, Quezon City (June 2025).
- Ex-Education USec Trygve Olaivar: 15 boxes and four suitcases delivered between 2023 and 2024. Garcia stated that Olaivar personally received the packages on at least one occasion.
- Late USec Cathy Cabral: Two deliveries in 2023—a paper bag at her residence in Brgy. Tatalon and a box at the Quirino Grandstand parking area.
When asked by Associate Justice Ronald Moreno if he ever suspected he was transporting illegal items, Garcia replied that he acted solely on Bernardo’s instructions. “I trusted him that he would not get me into trouble,” Garcia explained. He noted that he only realized the boxes contained large sums of cash after the flood control investigation became public.
Garcia’s testimony also touched on other intriguing deliveries:
- Carleen Villa: Eight boxes were delivered to a certain Carleen Villa in January 2025. Previous Senate hearings have identified a “Carleen Villa Yap” as an aide to Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay.
- Cherry Mobile Building: Six boxes were dropped off at the Cherry Mobile building in early 2025, though the witness was not told who the final recipient was.
Garcia was called to the stand ahead of schedule because the primary witness, Roberto Bernardo, failed to appear. The prosecution submitted a medical certificate stating that Bernardo is currently confined at Asian Hospital and Medical Center for acute bronchitis and pharyngitis.
The Sandiganbayan has ordered its medical officer to verify Bernardo’s condition to ensure the trial proceeds without further delay.
Lawyers for Senators Revilla and Estrada have dismissed the testimony as “hearsay” and “malicious fabrications” from a disgruntled former employee. They maintain that the deliveries never took place and that the prosecution is relying on “recycled scripts” to influence public opinion ahead of the next election cycle.
The flood control scandal remains one of the most significant corruption probes in recent years, with billions in public funds allegedly diverted from critical infrastructure projects intended to mitigate the impacts of severe typhoons.