Budget items linked to Villanueva, Estrada found in budget — Lacson
MANILA, Philippines — Alleged budget insertions by Sens. Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada were found to match items in the national budget, with Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson confirming claims made by a former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers.
Sacked DPWH engineer Brice Hernandez earned the ire of Villanueva and Estrada after alleging that the two were involved in a kickback scheme by inserting funds into the national budget for a later cut.
Hernandez alleged before the House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Works (Infracomm) on Thursday, September 19 that Villanueva padded the 2023 budget with P600 million, while Estrada supposedly added P355 million to the 2025 lineup. He also presented what he claimed was a conversation between sacked Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara and Villanueva.
Lacson, who chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said the committee was initially able to match some of the items in the 2025 budget Hernandez had attributed to Estrada.
“As far as Senator Jinggoy, nakita namin talaga 'yung seven items… item for item, we checked it. It matched what you said,” Lacson said. (As far as Senator Jinggoy, we saw the seven items… item for item, we checked it. It matched what you said.)
RELATED: DPWH engineer claims Estrada, Villanueva accepted 30% cut in flood control contracts
Villanueva linked
Lacson initially said they could not find the items Hernandez claimed Villanueva had inserted. Then Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian later showed how several flood control projects were covered by unprogrammed funds, naming specific items.
This appeared to jog Hernandez’s memory. “Yung pinakita niya po pala kanina na unprogrammed ng General Appropriations Act ng 2023, dun na kasama 'yung listahan na project ni Senator Joel,” Hernandez said. (What he showed earlier in the unprogrammed funds in the General Appropriation Act of 2023 is where Senator Joel’s list of projects can be found.)
Upon checking, Lacson confirmed that the items were indeed where Hernandez claimed they would be.
“We want to be fair. We want to be transparent and honest to the public… just to lend credence to the assertion of Jaypee Mendoza or Brice Hernandez,” Lacson said.
“There really is P600 million, as described, as enumerated, under the unprogrammed fund. I just want to make it clear. We will have to deal with this in the next hearing. This is what is being claimed that Senator Joel inserted for Bulacan. I counted, there are eight items,” Lacson added in a mix of English and Filipino.
Prior to Lacson’s confirmation that the projects enumerated by Hernandez were real, Villanueva thanked him for helping clear his name.
Villanueva has denied all of Hernandez’s accusations, even saying that the screenshots presented of his alleged conversations with Alcantara were doctored.
Bulacan at the center. Bulacan has become the focal point of the flood control scandal after ghost projects were uncovered in the province. Several DPWH officials have been implicated in alleged kickback schemes tied to half-done or nonexistent construction.
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