By DAVE SUAN ALBARADO
Bohol’s 3rd District Representative Kristine Alexie Tutor faces mounting scrutiny after district infrastructure projects totaling billions of pesos were awarded to construction companies linked to embattled CWS Party-list Congressman Edwin Gardiola from Batangas, whose business empire is now at the center of a massive anti-money laundering investigation involving nearly half a trillion pesos in suspicious transactions.
The Court of Appeals has frozen 1,193 bank accounts connected to Gardiola and his family’s construction firms following an Anti-Money Laundering Council petition that uncovered PhP480 billion pesos in transactions spanning three presidential administrations, with investigators finding probable cause to link the money flows to “unlawful activity.”
Bohol third district engineer Magiting Cruz confirmed on January 5, 2026 that Newington Builders Inc., linked to Gardiola family member Alberto Elmer, secured 15 projects in Bohol’s 3rd district during 2025.
The company’s work includes multiple flood control projects in Sierra Bullones and a P95-million-peso asphalt overlay project connecting Loay to Dimiao, all implemented through the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Documents show Newington Builders executed projects worth P2.2 billion pesos exclusively in Tutor’s third district, according to records reviewed by Bilyonaryo News Channel.
The geographic concentration of contracts has exposed the relationship between Cong. Tutor’s allocations and awards to Gardiola-linked firms.
Tutor has been named in so-called “DPWH leaks” that flagged billions of pesos in infrastructure spending in her district.
The documents reportedly show nearly P1.7 billion pesos worth of projects linked to her district ended up with contractors tied to the Construction Workers Solidarity (CWS) party-list representative.
Meanwhile, Cruz maintains fewer than 10 projects linked to Gardiola firms are currently under construction.
Many remain incomplete following the account freezes, with the district engineer noting completion has become “impossible” without access to frozen funds.
He acknowledged limited oversight of projects implemented directly by the DPWH Region 7 office while asserting all work in the third district meets standards and benefits constituents.
MASSIVE CORRUPTION
The AMLC investigation revealed stark inconsistencies between reported income and actual money flows across Gardiola’s business network.
Newington Builders alone recorded P13.5 billion pesos in account inflows during 2023, while audited financial statements showed only P3.5 billion pesos in sales for the same period, a discrepancy of P10 billion pesos in a single year for a single company.
The freeze order covers 756 accounts under Newington Builders, 325 accounts under S-Ang Construction and General Trading, 57 accounts under Lourel Development Corporation, and 55 personal accounts under Gardiola’s name.
All companies cited in the order are owned by the Gardiola family.
The AMLC determined the volume of deposits and check transactions could not be justified by Gardiola’s legitimate income sources, citing large-scale cash and check deposits along with significant inflows and outflows across the flagged accounts.
Financial records show a dramatic escalation in transactions through Gardiola-linked accounts across successive administrations.
During the Aquino administration under President Benigno “PNoy” Aquino III (2010-2016), accounts processed P117 billion pesos.
Under President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte (2016-2022), transactions declined to P77 billion pesos.
The pattern reversed dramatically after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022, the same year Gardiola entered Congress.
Transactions surged to P290 billion pesos during the Marcos administration, according to AMLC findings.
Breaking down the 2022-2025 period specifically, total transactions reached P289.7 billion pesos across the four entities: P171.5 billion pesos through S-Ang Construction, P11.8 billion pesos through Newington Builders, P6 billion pesos via Lourel Development Corporation, and P397 billion pesos in Gardiola’s personal accounts.
Earlier periods show similar patterns. From 2016 to 2022, transactions totaled P77.1 billion pesos, with S-Ang processing P29.23 billion pesos, Newington P42.8 billion pesos, Lourel P2.26 billion pesos, and Gardiola personally P2.8 billion pesos.
The 2010-2016 period recorded P112.7 billion pesos in total transactions: S-Ang with P54.78 billion pesos, Newington with P51.33 billion pesos, Lourel with P2.7 billion pesos, and Gardiola with P3.84 billion pesos.
The bulk of recorded money flows occurred after Gardiola entered Congress in 2022, when he gained influence over legislative matters affecting public works spending and infrastructure policy.
On the other hand, 3rd district engineer Cruz said the district engineering office has limited visibility into projects implemented directly by the DPWH Region 7 office, which handled multiple flood control contracts in Sierra Bullones and other municipalities.
This administrative structure creates oversight challenges, with local engineers having incomplete knowledge of contracts awarded and executed by regional authorities within their geographic areas, he said.
The three flood control projects in Sierra Bullones were among those implemented by the regional office rather than the district engineering office, according to Cruz.
National media has reported both S-Ang and Newington are linked to Gardiola, giving his business network multiple avenues for securing government contracts.
Despite the freeze order’s impact and incomplete projects, Cruz maintains there are no ghost projects or substandard materials in third district construction, asserting all projects are “above board and providing benefit to the people.”
CALL FOR INVESTIGATION
The documents contain explicit calls for investigation of other legislators’ financial dealings.
Observers have specifically requested examination of the bank accounts and business transactions of some legislators questioning whether Gardiola’s business partners in securing lucrative government contracts extend into the legislative sphere.
“But we are talking only of Gardiola’s bank accounts. What about his ‘partners’?” the documents state, calling for scrutiny of the legislators.
1,000 PLUS BANK ACCOUNTS
The freeze order’s consequences extend beyond the investigation itself.
With more than 1,000 accounts locked, contractors cannot access funds to finish ongoing work, potentially leaving areas without promised flood protection and road improvements.
“Many are still uncompleted but with the freeze order on Gardiola’s bank accounts, it is impossible to complete these projects,” documents state, adding “Sayang kaayo ang kwarta”—a Visayan phrase meaning “what a waste of money.”
The P2.2 billion pesos in Newington projects in the 3rd district now face uncertain completion timelines, affecting infrastructure meant to protect against flooding and improve transportation networks in Sierra Bullones, Loay, Dimiao and other third district municipalities.
CWS PARTYLIST
Gardiola represents the Construction Workers Solidarity party-list in the House of Representatives, a position that combines legislative authority over public works policy with personal ownership of major DPWH contractors.
His construction companies have been major government contractors for more than a decade, with business expanding significantly during each administration.
The case triggers questions about potential conflicts of interest when lawmakers who influence infrastructure budgets and oversight simultaneously own companies bidding for government contracts.
The concentration of projects in specific congressional districts adds another layer to the corruption scheme about how procurement decisions are made within the massive public works program.
The DPWH is among the largest spending departments in the Philippine government, with infrastructure budgets reaching hundreds of billions of pesos annually.
How those funds are allocated to congressional districts and which contractors ultimately execute the work has long been a subject of scrutiny.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council has not filed criminal charges, but the freeze order prevents access to the accounts pending completion of the investigation.
The Court of Appeals found sufficient evidence of suspicious activity to justify the extraordinary measure affecting more than 1,000 accounts across four business entities and Gardiola’s personal finances.
The “unlawful activity” finding by the court provides the legal basis for the freeze but does not constitute a criminal conviction.
The AMLC investigation continues, with authorities reviewing more than a decade of financial records spanning three presidential administrations and involving transactions that exceed the annual budgets of some Philippine government agencies.
Neither Gardiola, the legislator, nor representatives from Newington Builders, S-Ang Construction, or Lourel Development Corporation responded to requests for comment.