The accusation of sacked Bulacan assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez that Senator Jinggoy Estrada had funneled funds to dubious flood control projects in the province was possibly confirmed on Thursday.
This as Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairperson Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson told reporters that a P355-million allocation flagged by Hernandez as Estrada’s “insertion” matched a figure in the 2025 national budget.
“We found one. There was indeed an insertion. It’s clear that it was either inserted in the Senate version or during the bicameral conference committee proceedings,” Lacson said.
“Once it was confirmed that P355 million was really allocated for Bulacan, we went further. There were indeed five identified projects that had been awarded out of the P355 million,” he said.
Lacson said his team was verifying the projects’ status on the DPWH website and on the ground.
Estrada has denied the allegation, calling Hernandez a “blatant liar.”
Lacson said CCTV evidence could support Hernandez’s other claims. He said footage from 19 August showed a WJ Construction staff member—identified only as “Mina”—entering the Senate building.
“As we speak, we have video footage, CCTV footage, that confirms a visit by the WJ representative; I think her name is Mina,” Lacson said.
Commissions denied
Hernandez had earlier told a House panel that WJ Construction delivered alleged kickbacks, referred to as “obligations” or “lagay,” to a Senate staffer named “Beng Ramos,” whom he linked to Estrada.
The engineer tagged Estrada and Sen. Joel Villanueva as allegedly taking “commissions” from the projects.
In response, Estrada denied having a staff member named Beng Ramos, but admitted that one of his staffers had a girlfriend by that name.
Return to Crame sought
Hernandez remained locked up at the Pasay City Jail on the orders of the Senate, which declared him in contempt.
The engineer’s lawyers had moved that he be returned to the Philippine National Police custodial facility in Camp Crame, Quezon City to ensure his safety.
On Tuesday, Hernandez asked the House panel investigating the flood control project scandal not to bring him back to the Senate as he feared for his life.
Check CCTV
On the CCTV footage, Lacson said his office had an idea of Mina’s destination inside the Senate building but emphasized that sworn testimonies were needed.
He said he will summon the CCTV operator as well as Mina herself to appear before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on 18 September.
“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 said.
He noted that the footage would have been deleted after 30 days. “It’s a good thing we retrieved it on time. The footage from 19 August would have been erased after 20 September,” he said.
New evidence
Lacson said the findings of earlier Blue Ribbon hearings on flood control anomalies remained valid and will be incorporated with the new evidence.
“The mandate of the Blue Ribbon Committee is clear—the accountability of public officials. That remains the direction; nothing will change,” he said.
The previous panel hearings were conducted under then chairperson Rodante Marcoleta. “If new findings come up, we will incorporate them and add them to the previous ones,” Lacson added.
Lacson said the committee is considering inviting former senator Grace Poe, who chaired the Senate Finance Committee at the time to clarify how the P355-million insertion got into the budget. Bicameral insertions typically happen when the Senate and House versions of the spending bill are reconciled.
Under Marcoleta, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee had contractors Sarah and Curlee Discaya accusing several members of the House, Speaker Martin Romualdez and Rep. Elizaldy Co among them, of receiving kickbacks from projects.
With Sen. Vicente Sotto replacing Sen. Francis Escudero as Senate President and Lacson taking the place of Marcoleta as Blue Ribbon Committee chair, Sotto and Lacson are being accused on social media of covering up for lawmakers who allegedly took commissions from the projects and for focusing on the contractors and DPWH officials.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has formed an independent commission to probe the scandal, even as the DPWH under Secretary Vince Dizon filed a complaint before the Ombudsman against 20 DPWH officials and five contractors.