MANILA — Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva have vehemently denied allegations linking them to kickbacks in flood control projects in Bulacan, following explosive claims made by former Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan First District Engineering Office.

In a privilege speech, Senator Villanueva firmly refuted Hernandez’s accusations, reiterating that he has no involvement in any flood control projects.

“Today, they again attempted to drag my name in these flood control projects in my province of Bulacan. I repeat, Mr. President, I don’t have any flood control projects,” Villanueva stated.

He emphasized his longstanding scrutiny of the government’s flood control initiatives, questioning the transparency of the P1.4-billion budget allocated for such efforts.

“Mr. President, we speak about this repeatedly in the Senate, where is the P1.4-billion budget of the government for flood control?” he asked.

Villanueva suggested that his possession of affidavits from DPWH personnel in Bulacan may have prompted the accusations against him.

“Senator JV Ejercito and Senator Chiz Escudero would attest to this. May hawak po ako na mga affidavits ng mga taga-DPWH sa Bulacan. Ipinakita ko po sa kanila at sabi ko ibi-bring up ko po sa committee ni Senator Marcoleta. Hindi ko po ito nagawa sapagkat alam naman natin ang nangyari kahapon. We were preparing, I didn’t get the chance to attend the committee hearing,” he explained.

He stressed his willingness to cooperate with any investigation, asserting his innocence and readiness to defend his reputation.

“Uulitin ko po Mr. President, hindi lang po categorically denying’yung binabatong putik sa atin at para dumihan ang ating pangalan. May resibo po tayo. Madaling beripikahin. Tayo po ay more than willing mag-undergo at sumali sa anumang imbestigasyon sapagkat wala po tayong tinatago,” Villanueva said.

“Mr. President, we’re not afraid of these kind of demolition job. We are ready to have our name tarnished, to be insulted or criticized if this would mean saving our people and putting an end to this unli-flood,” he added.

‘Lie Detector Test’

Senator Estrada also issued a strong denial in a Senate manifestation, challenging Hernandez to a public lie detector test.

“I categorically and vehemently deny the claims made by Brice Hernandez. I challenge him. Let us take a lie detector test before the public para malaman ng lahat kung sino ang nagsasabi ng totoo,” Estrada declared.

“Talk is cheap – handa akong patunayan na pawang mga kasinungalingan ang sinasabi nya tungkol sa akin,” he added.

During the House Infrastructure Committee hearing on September 9, 2025, Hernandez alleged that some DPWH engineers acted as “bagmen” for politicians. Reading from his handwritten testimony, he named the two senators, along with DPWH Undersecretary Robert Bernardo and District Engineer Henry Alcantara, as recipients of kickbacks.

Hernandez claimed they received a percentage of the project cost as part of a standard operating procedure. He stated that these funds were delivered following the approval of items in the national budget and facilitated by individuals within the Department of Public Works and Highways.

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