WJ Construction staff allegedly linked to kickbacks spotted inside Senate

A staff member of a firm earlier mentioned by Bulacan’s former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineer Brice Hernandez as delivering kickbacks to lawmakers was spotted inside the Senate premises on August 19, according to Senate President Pro Tempore and Blue Ribbon Committee Chairperson Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.

Lacson confirmed that CCTV footage obtained by his office shows a WJ Construction employee, identified only as “Mina,” entering the Senate premises.

“As we speak, we have video footage — CCTV footage — that confirms a visit by the WJ representative, I think her name is Mina,” Lacson told reporters in mixed Filipino during the Kapihan sa Senado forum on Thursday.

The footage, according to Lacson, will be used as part of the Senate’s inquiry into the testimony of Hernandez.

Hernandez earlier told a House panel that WJ Construction was delivering alleged kickbacks — referred to as “obligations” or “lagay” — to a Senate staff member identified as “Beng Ramos,” whom he linked to Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

While Lacson said his office has a “fair idea” of where “Mina” went during her Senate visit, he emphasized the importance of verifying the information through sworn testimony.

“We’ll also summon the CCTV operator because footage alone doesn’t speak,” he said.

“Ipapatawag namin ’yun kasi tatanungin namin, although may idea kami kung saan siya nagpunta rito at kaninong opisina ang dinalaw niya, pero ipapatawag namin para malaman natin kung kanino siya nagpunta, kaninong office, at sinong kinausap niya para maliwanag whether or not staff ng blue ribbon ang pinuntahan o legislature ang pinuntahan (We will summon her because we want to ask questions. Although we already have an idea where she went and which office she visited, we’ll still summon her so we can confirm who exactly she visited, which office it was, and whom she spoke with — to clarify whether she went to someone from the Blue Ribbon Committee or from the legislative offices),” Lacson explained.

He added that his office acted swiftly to secure the footage, which would have been automatically deleted after 30 days.

“It’s a good thing we retrieved it on time. The footage from August 19 would have been erased after September 20, given the one-month retention period of our CCTV system,” he noted.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is set to hold its next hearing on 18 September, where “Mina” and the CCTV operator will be subpoenaed to testify under oath.

Lacson reiterated the Senate’s commitment to uncovering the truth behind the alleged misuse of public funds and maintaining accountability within its ranks.