MANILA — A liaison officer of contractor SYMS Construction testified before the Sandiganbayan that she personally delivered P299 million in cash, placed inside grocery boxes, to the office of then Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez.

Monica Ocampo-Santos said the amount was intended for the supposed construction of five government projects awarded to SYMS using a contractor’s license allegedly lent by Hernandez.

She told the anti-graft court that the total included P74 million allegedly received by Hernandez from a P92.8-million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan, which is at the center of the malversation case involving former senator Ramon Revilla Jr., Hernandez, and several DPWH officials.

Asked how the money was handed over, Ocampo-Santos said: “Nasa kahon po ng grocery…sa sahig po [nilapag]…sa gilid ng lamesa ni Engr. Brice. Binubuksan po, naka-bundle na tig-1,000.”

She added that the boxes used for the deliveries previously contained soy sauce, junk food, noodles, and coffee.

“May amount sa taas [ng kahon] magkano [ang] laman ng isang box, bibilangin per bundle [ni Engr. Brice],” Ocampo-Santos said.

When asked by the Sandiganbayan justices about the purpose of the delivery, she replied: “Para po sa construction ng projects na [nakuha dahil sa] hiniram [na lisensiya] ni Engr. Brice for SYMS.”

Ocampo-Santos, who is related by marriage to state witness and SYMS owner Sally Santos, also presented screenshots of a May 19, 2025 conversation with Hernandez discussing the delivery schedule.

The exchange showed Ocampo-Santos asking, “Ninong, andiyan po ba kayo ng hapon [bukas] para sa collection ng limang partial [payment].”

Hernandez replied, “Yes, inaanak.”

Ocampo-Santos then said, “okay po, Ninong. Sasabihin ko po kay Tita Sally.”

During cross-examination, Hernandez’s counsel, Atty. Jo Ellaine Collado, asked if Ocampo-Santos had been instructed to implicate Hernandez alone, but government prosecutor Iris Pozon objected to the question, prompting its withdrawal.

In the same hearing, Ocampo-Santos testified that Hernandez, along with state witness and former Bulacan First District Engineering Office district engineer Henry Alcantara and DPWH officials Juanito Mendoza and JP Mendoza, served as principal sponsors at her wedding, a request she said came from Santos.

She also noted that the site of the P92.8-million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan showed no visible structure and only rusting sheet piles.