DESPITE facing their accuser in Thursday’s Senate blue ribbon committee hearing regarding flood control project anomalies, Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada remain under scrutiny concerning alleged budget insertions, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.
The hearing centered around accusations made by Brice Hernandez, a former assistant district engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways, who claimed that Villanueva and Estrada influenced the allocation of P600 million and P355 million, respectively, for projects in Bulacan’s first district in exchange for a purported 30-percent cut.
While both senators vehemently denied the allegations and offered to waive their bank account privacy to demonstrate their innocence, Lacson, who chairs the blue ribbon panel, indicated that the investigation is ongoing.
During the hearing, Lacson revealed that he had identified “seven or eight items” totaling P600 million within the unprogrammed fund of the 2023 national budget. He also reiterated his previous disclosure of P355 million in flood-control project insertions discovered in the 2025 national budget.
Lacson’s statements suggest that the committee is continuing to examine the details of the budget allocations and the potential involvement of the senators, despite their denials and willingness to open their financial records.
The focus remains on determining whether the allocations were made improperly or in exchange for personal gain, highlighting the Senate’s commitment to investigating potential corruption and ensuring transparency in government spending.
