Estrada, Revilla face prelim probe

The Department of Justice is set to issue subpoenas next week for Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla over separate plunder complaints linked to the flood control corruption scandal, DoJ Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon said on Saturday.

“This coming week, we will be issuing the subpoenas in connection with those cases,” Fadullon said during a forum. “This means the preliminary investigation for their complaints will begin.”

On Friday, the Office of the Ombudsman filed graft and malversation charges against Revilla, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan assistant district engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza, and four others over a P92.8-million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.

DoJ spokesperson Polo Martinez clarified that the plunder cases against Estrada and Revilla were not limited to Bulacan. “The plunder cases involve amounts from projects nationwide, not just in Bulacan,” he said.

The complaints were filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which conducted a fact-finding together with DoJ prosecutors before recommending the filing of the cases to the Office of the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman then evaluated if there was enough evidence to proceed, and the records were recently returned to the DoJ, Fadullon said.

Both senators have denied any wrongdoing. Revilla has denied any involvement in “ghost” flood control projects in Bulacan, while Estrada has “categorically and vehemently denied” the claim of Hernandez that he pocketed kickbacks.

Martinez said another key figure in the flood control scandal, former Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co, is facing a separate plunder complaint, with the preliminary investigation held on 5 January.

Meanwhile, Hernandez has not yet qualified to be a state witness, though he may submit additional evidence before he may enter the DoJ’s Witness Protection Program. “The most we can say is he does not qualify for now,” Martinez said.