WJ Construction Representative Denies Bribery Claims in Senate Flood Control Project Probe

During the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Thursday, Mina Jose, a representative of WJ Construction—implicated in irregularities related to flood control projects—testified about her presence on Senate CCTV footage on August 19. Jose clarified that her visit to Senator Erwin Tulfo’s office was to inspect repair works on the veranda, a statement confirmed by the senator himself.

Senator Tulfo presented the committee with copies of text messages exchanged between his staff and Jose concerning the inspection. Under questioning, Jose firmly denied allegations that she went to the Senate to deliver illicit payments tied to flood control contracts.

However, Jose did admit to later visiting the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee office to meet her friend Beng Ramos. Ramos is currently accused by Brice Hernandez, a former engineer at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan 1st district, of collecting kickbacks related to projects linked to Senator Jinggoy Estrada. Ramos was excused from attending the hearing on humanitarian grounds as she is undergoing chemotherapy for stage four cancer.

In a previous House Infrastructure Committee hearing, Hernandez implicated WJ Construction in a bribery scheme. He alleged that Senator Estrada received a 30% commission from flood control contracts totaling P355 million in Bulacan in 2023. Similarly, Senator Villanueva was said to have obtained a 30% commission from P600 million in flood control projects this year. Both senators have categorically denied the accusations against them.