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DAILY BRIEF
MCT DAILY BRIEF: OCTOBER 29, 2026 · MORNING
Good morning. Wednesday’s developments include the questioning of Roberto Bernardo at Jinggoy Estrada’s bail hearing, a planned DPWH review of flagged budget projects, and an administrative fine against Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival.
1
BERNARDO QUESTIONED AT ESTRADA BAIL HEARING
Former public works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo was questioned on October 28 about alleged kickback deliveries and changes in his accounts during Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s plunder bail hearing before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division. Bernardo said he had initially hesitated to implicate Estrada because they were friends, GMA News reported.
The defense questioned why Estrada appeared in Bernardo’s later accounts and challenged the lack of records supporting the alleged transactions. Bernardo said he personally accompanied only the last of four alleged deliveries, NewsWatch Plus reported. Estrada denied receiving money from him and disputed his testimony.
The court was hearing Estrada’s request for bail. Neither report described a new bail ruling or a finding of guilt. NewsWatch Plus reported that former DPWH engineer Gerard Opulencia was scheduled to testify on October 29; that testimony had not yet taken place in the report.
2
DPWH PLANS REVIEW OF FLAGGED 2027 PROJECTS
Public Works Secretary Giovanni Lopez said on October 28 that the department would scrutinize projects flagged in the House-approved 2027 budget. In a Balitanghali interview reported by GMA News, he said the review would cover supporting documents, feasibility studies and whether projects fit local plans.
Lopez said meetings would take place in the coming days. No completed findings were reported.
3
CEBU MAYOR FINED OVER NIGHT MARKET LAPSES
Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival received an Ombudsman decision on October 27 imposing a fine equivalent to one month’s basic salary for simple neglect of duty over the 2025 Colon Night Market, CDN Digital reported on October 28. The administrative case concerned permit and road-use rules.
The Ombudsman dismissed the grave-misconduct and gross-neglect charges for lack of sufficient evidence. CDN reported that Archival had earlier defended the market’s operation as legal, but had not answered its request for a new comment by publication. His chief of staff confirmed when the decision was received.
This was an administrative finding, not a criminal conviction. The reports reviewed did not say whether a motion for reconsideration or an appeal had been filed, or whether the decision was final.
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