SENATE Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Friday, September 19, 2025, that Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada are not yet cleared in the issue of millions of pesos in insertions in the General Appropriations Acts for 2023 and 2025.
“By any measure, Senators Villanueva and Estrada have not been cleared, at least on the issue of budget insertions involving infrastructure projects in Bulacan worth P600 million and P355 million, respectively, as alleged by Engr. Brice Hernandez,” said Lacson, the Senate president pro tempore, in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
In the House tri-committee investigation on anomalous flood control projects last week, Hernandez, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) assistant district engineer for Bulacan’s First District, said Estrada and Villanueva received 30 percent of the project cost from government flood projects in Bulacan.
Hernandez said that in 2023, Villanueva funneled P600 million public funds to flood control projects in the municipalities of Bocaue and Balagtas, both among the flood-prone towns of the province.
Villanueva hails from Bocaue, a town next to Balagtas.
He added Estrada allocated P355 million in flood-mitigating projects to the city of Malolos and the towns of Hagonoy and Calumpit in 2025.
He said the kickbacks were delivered to the lawmakers in cash.
Lacson earlier said there was indeed P355 million in insertions in the 2025 national budget allocated for five flood control projects in Bulacan.
He said it was not in the 2025 National Expenditure Program nor in the House General Appropriations Bill, which means it was either inserted in the Senate or during the bicameral conference.
P600 million
During Thursday’s Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on anomalous flood control projects, Lacson also confirmed P600 million worth of flood control projects in Bulacan under unprogrammed appropriations for fiscal year 2023.
“Ito ‘yung kine-claim niyo na in-insert ni Senator Joel sa Bulacan. I counted, and there are either seven or eight items with a value of P75 million each. I computed, that’s exactly P600 million,” Lacson said.
(This is what you claim Senator Joel inserted in Bulacan. I counted, and there are either seven or eight items worth P75 million each. I computed that’s exactly P600 million.)
In the same hearing, Villanueva and Estrada confronted Hernandez over his allegations.
Hernandez admitted he never personally transacted with Estrada or Villanueva and only heard their names as “proponents” of the projects through his former boss, DPWH Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara.
WJ Construction’s Mina Elamparo-Jose also denied transacting with Estrada or Hernandez, who earlier claimed the construction firm delivered “obligations” or kickbacks to a certain Beng Ramos.
Hernandez said Ramos was a staff member of Estrada, but Senate records showed she was a member of the Blue Ribbon Committee secretariat and was never part of Estrada’s staff.
“As for myself, I speak from the depth of my heart that I have never engaged in any illegal activity. I have never given nor received any money from any public official or government employee, including this Mr. Brice Hernandez. Thus, I strongly deny the baseless and malicious accusations he threw against me and WJ Construction during the congressional hearing,” Jose said.
She explained that her presence in the Senate building on August 19 was to visit the office of Senator Erwin Tulfo for an ocular inspection of a refurbishment project.
“Meron pong problem ‘yung terrace ni Senator Erwin na binabaha lalo pag umuulan. Ako po ‘yung na-refer na contractor ng staff niya na kung pwede tingnan namin, gawan ng solusyon at mag-suggest kami,” Jose said.
(Senator Erwin’s terrace has a problem with flooding, especially when it rains. I was referred by his staff as the contractor to inspect it, find a solution, and make recommendations.)
Fabricated?
Meanwhile, Villanueva argued that screenshots of phone conversations with altered metadata could be fabricated to create false narratives.
“If we rely on pictures, anyone can claim anything,” Villanueva said.
“Maaaring sabihin ‘yung cellphone na nag-picture at ang metadata ng picture na ito ay para sabihin kinuhanan talaga noong October 2023,” he added.
Hernandez and former Bulacan First District Assistant Engineer Jaypee Mendoza earlier showed during the House hearing photos of alleged conversations between Alcantara and Villanueva.
Mendoza said Villanueva requested a P1.5-billion budget for a multipurpose building from Alcantara, but the engineer said then-Secretary Manuel Bonoan could only allot P600 million.
Both Villanueva and Estrada have repeatedly denied any links to anomalous flood control projects. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)