THE Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) has hit the ground running in its investigation on anomalous flood control projects.
As it formally opened its probe into the irregularities in flood mitigating projects, the ICI, led by chairperson retired Justice Andres Reyes Jr., first interviewed dismissed Department of Public Works and Highways Bulacan first district assistant engineer Brice Hernandez.
“From the very start, Mr. Hernandez answered all questions freely and voluntarily without evasion and showed full cooperation,” Reyes said.
“As a sign of good faith and his willingness to further cooperate with the Commission, Mr. Hernandez is voluntarily surrendering one of his luxury vehicles to the Commission, and others to follow,” he added.
Hernandez surrendered to the commission a GMC Denali worth P12 million.
In an interview with reporters, retired Philippine National Police (PNP) major general and now Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong, the commission’s investigator and special adviser, said Hernandez provided the ICI “relevant revelations.”
“In short, tell-all siya and he will continue to cooperate with us para talagang ma-identify pa lalo 'yung iba pang mga sangkot,” he said.
(In short, he is telling all, and he will continue to cooperate with us so that the other people involved can be further identified.)
“Basta ang masasabi ko lang ay marami pa siyang nabanggit na mga hindi nabanggit…Magandang lead ito para sa mga imbestigador,” he added.
(All I can say is that he mentioned many other things that were not previously revealed… This is a good lead for the investigators.)
Magalong said Hernandez also vowed to soon surrender a Ferrari sports car worth P58 million, a Lamborghini that costs between P30 million to P40 million, and some motorcycles.
In the House tri-committee investigation on anomalous flood control projects last week, Hernandez claimed that Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva received 30 percent of the project cost from government flood projects in Bulacan in 2025 and 2023, respectively.
He said the kickbacks were being delivered to Estrada and Villanueva in cash when the projects already appeared in the General Appropriations Act.
Hernandez also admitted involvement in ghost projects in Bulacan, which was tagged as “notorious” for anomalous flood control projects.
He tagged his former boss, Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara, as the mastermind in the scheme where they rent out licenses of a qualified contractor in order to bag the projects, which were found non-existent.
Hernandez was cited in contempt by the Senate but he was allowed to go home on Saturday, September 20, to gather more evidence to prove his claims amid the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation on flood control anomalies.
He returned to the Senate premises in the evening. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)