SENATOR Jinggoy Estrada said Tuesday, September 9, 2025, that he will file charges against former Bulacan first district assistant engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez, who implicated him in the anomalous flood control projects in Bulacan.
In a press conference, Estrada denied Hernandez’s claims that he received 30 percent kickback from P355 million worth of flood control projects in the province, tagging it as “kathang-isip at gawa-gawa.”
“Do you think I will actively participate in that hearing kung nandoon siya tapos kilala ko siya at may binibigay siya sa akin na pera? That’s common sense. I should have abstained from that hearing. Malakas ang loob ko kasi I never committed any illegal act,” Estrada said.
(Do you think I would actively participate in that hearing if he were there, I knew him, and he was giving me money? That’s common sense. I should have abstained from that hearing. I am confident because I never committed any illegal act.)
“I really do not know what his evil intentions are. Siguro he wants to get even with me because I’m the one who cited him in contempt at pinakulong sa Senado,” he added.
On Monday, September 8, during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee inquiry into the anomalous flood control projects, Hernandez was cited in contempt for his denial regarding questions related to gambling in casinos, which involves using fake IDs and losing millions worth of bets.
Hernandez was also grilled by senators regarding his vehicles, which include a Toyota Supra worth P4 million, a Dodge Challenger worth P7 million, a 2022 Ducati motorcycle worth P2.2 million, and a BMW R2150 worth P1.2 million.
His wife has a Lamborghini Urus Perfomante worth around P30 million.
In the same hearing, the Discaya couple, the owner of two of the 15 construction firms that cornered the most number of flood control projects from the government from 2022 to 2025, named several congressmen and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials allegedly involved in corruption in flood-mitigating projects.
Estrada said “baka naggagantihan na lang (Maybe they are just trying to one-up each other).”
In his manifestation during the plenary session, Villanueva also denied the accusations against him.
“Mr. President, noon pong time na yun, nagpunta tayo sa Calumpit, kasama si Mayor Lem at Gov. Daniel Fernando. Binanggit po natin sa lahat ng news outlet na palpak talaga ang programa ng gobyerno sa flood control. Two years later, ang Pangulo ng Pilipinas pumunta rin po doon sa the same town, with the same mayor and governor at sinabi rin po ng ating Pangulo palpak nga ang flood control ng pamahalaan,” he said.
(Mr. President, at that time, we went to Calumpit with Mayor Lem and Governor Daniel Fernando. We told all the news outlets that the government’s flood control program was really failing. Two years later, the President of the Philippines also went to the same town, with the same mayor and governor, and he too said that the government’s flood control efforts were failing.)
“Mr. President para po tayong sirang plaka sa Senado, paulit-ulit P1.4 bilyon ang budget ng gobyerno pero nasaan po itong flood control na ito. In the same year, kanina sa Kamara, sinasabi in the same year may program daw po si Joel Villanueva, wala pong maverify, wala pong ebidensya. Wala pong resibo. Pero patuloy po itong tinatanong. Mr. President, sabi ng matatanda kung sino 'yung lumalaban, siya ‘yung gusto nilang tamaan ng mga sindikato. And if you can't convince them, confuse them,” he added.
(Mr. President, we sound like a broken record in the Senate -- every year the government allocates P1.4 billion, but where is this flood control program? In the same year, earlier in the House, it was claimed that Joel Villanueva had a program, but there is no verification, no evidence, no receipts. Yet it continues to be questioned. Mr. President, as the elders say, those who fight back are the ones the syndicates want to target. And if you can’t convince them, confuse them.)
Villanueva tagged his implication to anomalous flood control projects as “demolition job,” which he will not let ruin his name and his family. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)