Dismissed DPWH Engineers Uphold Claims of Kickbacks Involving Senators Estrada and Villanueva

During the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza maintained their accusations that Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva were beneficiaries of kickbacks linked to flood control projects.

The two dismissed engineers indicated that their information originated from their former supervisor, dismissed District Engineer Henry Alcantara. Hernandez reiterated his previous statement made in the House of Representatives, linking Estrada to kickbacks related to flood control projects slated for 2025.

Senator Estrada challenged Hernandez, emphasizing the lack of concrete evidence. "The burden of proof lies with you, Mr. Hernandez," Estrada asserted, adding that he is often targeted due to past associations with irregularities. Estrada denied soliciting any portion of DPWH project funds and described the allegations as hearsay.

Senator Joel Villanueva confronted Mendoza regarding a Viber message exchange purportedly between him and Alcantara. The messages included Villanueva expressing dissatisfaction over funds allocation despite his position as majority flood leader and membership in the Commission on Appointments (CA) at the time. The texts also referenced confusion over the DPWH Secretary’s actions.

Initially, Mendoza placed the date of these conversations in October 2023; however, Villanueva corrected this, noting that DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan’s confirmation by the CA occurred in November 2022. Mendoza then adjusted the date of the messages to October 4, 2022, while the related projects were from 2023.

Mendoza detailed that Alcantara instructed him to photograph the messages, indicating Villanueva requested multipurpose building projects exceeding one billion pesos, but Bonoan could only allocate PHP 600 million. Alcantara proposed redirecting these funds to flood control projects.

"Contractors took 25 percent, amounting to a total of PHP 150 million," Mendoza stated.

Earlier, Alcantara acknowledged the message exchange but contended that the communications were about multipurpose building requests and did not pertain to flood control projects.

Villanueva disputed the timeline, noting that he was not a CA member when the messages were sent. When asked by Villanueva if Alcantara ever solicited or nominated flood control projects on his behalf, Alcantara admitted to one instance.

The senator also cautioned against relying solely on photographic evidence from mobile devices, highlighting the ease of fabricating conversations and tampering with metadata. "If we rely on pictures, anyone can claim anything," he commented.

The hearing continues as investigators seek to verify the claims and establish accountability.