Senator Raffy Tulfo on Tuesday grilled Bulacan’s former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez over over alleged money laundering, frequent high-stakes gambling, and the use of a fake driver’s license to access casinos despite government employees being prohibited from doing so.
During the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on anomalous flood control projects, Tulfo cited an information provided by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) that Hernandez’s bank account had recorded a staggering amount of financial activity, far beyond what his government salary could explain.
“Meron kang 36 bank accounts nafreeze ng AMLC, may laman 597 million [pesos] (You have 36 bank accounts that have been freeze by the AMLC, which contains P597 million,” Tulfo lamented
Tulfo then cited AMLC records showing 190 suspicious deposits totaling P597 million in Hernandez’s 36 bank accounts, despite earning only P56,000 per month at the DPWH.
“Umabot sa 597 total amount ang tanong ko ngayon sa sweldo mong 56000 kada buwan sa dpwh san nanggaling to? sasabihin mo ngayon misis mo tsaka ex wife mo anong trabaho ex wife mo para magdepsoit ng malaking pera? (The total amount reached P597,000. My question now is, with your salary of P56,000 per month at the DPWH, where did this come from? Now you're going to say it's from your wife and your ex-wife—what kind of job does your ex-wife have to be able to deposit such a large amount of money),” Tulfo asked sarcastically.
Hernandez attempted to justify the deposits, claiming his family was involved in small-time buy-and-sell businesses, and that he had a share in some deals.
“Kapatid ko po nagba-buy and sell, minsan motor, minsan sasakyan. Nakikishare po ako. May hanapbuhay din po mga magulang ko (My sibling is in buy-and-sell, sometimes motorcycles, sometimes cars. I join in on the investment. My parents also have their own livelihood),” he said.
Tulfo rejected the explanation.
“Pinapalabas mo ngayon na may sideline ka. Extra income na umaabot sa milyon-milyon, pansugal lang? (So now you're trying to make it seem like you have a sideline? Extra income amounting to millions, just for gambling?),” he said.
The senator underscored the improbability of amassing hundreds of millions in transactions through legal means on a government salary.
Earlier in the hearing, Tulfo asked Hernandez how much he had won in the casino on his biggest night.
“Magkano pinakamalaking winnings mo sa casino na natatandaan mo? (Do you remember how much is your biggest winnings in Casino?),” the senator asked.
“Mga P20-30 million po siguro (I think about P20 to 30 million),” Hernandez replied.
Tulfo pressed “'Di (not) P100 million?.”
Hernandez said . “‘Di po. Ang sinasabi ko po, sa isang gabi po, P20-30 million po pinakamalaki (No. What I'm saying is that in one night, P20 to 30 million is the highest amount).”
Citing AMLC records, Tulfo pressed suspicious cash-in and cash-out activities by Hernandez, noting that the latter would enter a casino with P1 million and leave with P2 million.
According to Hernandez, the money he gambled with did not come from his own pocket.
“Pag pumupunta kaming grupo, si Boss Henry lang po may dalang pera. Doon po kami kumukuha ng pera. Lagi po siyang may bag ng pera sa sasakyan niya, nakaready panlaro talaga. Isang bag, mga P20 million ang laman (When our group goes, it's only Boss Henry who brings money. That's where we get our money from. He always has a bag of cash in his car—really prepared for gambling. One bag contains about P20 million)
Tulfo also grilled Hernandez over using a fake Land Transportation Office (LTO) driver’s license, particularly when frequenting casinos.
“Fake ID galing sa LTO, pineke mo. Ginamit mo sa casino tuwing magsusugal ka. Tama? (The fake ID came from the LTO, you forged it. You used it at the casino whenever you gambled. Is that correct?),” he asked Hernandez who initially denied using fake ID.
But, Hernandez later admitted the photo shown in a previous hearing matched his face and bore the name Marvin de Guzman.
“Sila po may hawak ng ID na 'yon. Hindi po ako (They are the ones holding that ID. It’s not me),” he said, adding that the casino staff allegedly arranged the IDs to bypass restrictions for government employees.
Tulfo responded furiously. “So casino ang lumalapit sa inyo para bigyan kayo ng fake ID? Tapos babalewalain natin ang batas? (So the casino came to you to provide fake IDs? Are we then expected to disregard the law?).”
When pressed to identify the casino, Hernandez named-dropped Solaire, but claimed he didn’t recall the specific individual who handled the fake ID arrangements.
Tulfo and Senator Ping Lacson then mentioned the name Archival Torregoza, whom Hernandez confirmed he had met and was the one who assisted with casino arrangements.
Lacson, who chairs the Blue Ribbon Committee, called Torregoza to be summoned in the next hearing.
“We will invite next hearing, Archival Torregoza, kindly take note,” he said.