US Edition2 Philippine senators implicated in flood control corruption inquiry but deny allegations
Brice Ericson Hernandez testified that Senators Estrada and Villanueva allegedly received 30% kickbacks from flood control contracts worth over $16 million in 2023, sparking government probes.
- Two Philippine senators, Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, were implicated in a flood control corruption scandal in Manila on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
- The controversy emerged from accusations by a former district engineer’s assistant, who alleged the existence of a payola-like arrangement referred to as the "standard operating procedure," involving a 30% kickback from the budgets allocated for flood control projects.
- Hernandez testified under oath that Villanueva endorsed P600 million and Estrada was linked to P355 million worth of projects in the 2023 General Appropriations Act, while both senators denied the charges and challenged the allegations.
- More than P1 billion in cash was reportedly delivered in boxes to Hernandez’s office through former engineer Henry Alcantara, who denied any involvement; the scandal sparked investigations, public protests, and ultimately led to the public works secretary stepping down.
- President Marcos Jr. ordered a nationwide investigation, plans to form an independent commission, withheld flood project funding next year, and the government reviews thousands of projects after recent deadly floods displaced over 300,000 people.
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17 Articles
Estrada, Villanueva got 30% cut from flood control in Bulacan — DPWH engineer
Former assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez of Bulacan First District dropped a bombshell statement at the House flood control probe, saying he served as one of the bag men of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Joel Villanueva.
Estrada, Villanueva tagged in flood control mess, 'SOP was 30%'
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — A former district engineer from Bulacan linked two senators to the flood control mess at the resumption of the investigation by the House of Representatives on Tuesday.Quoting his boss District Engineer Henry Alcantara, former assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez said Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva demanded "30 percent" and was "delivered when these items came out in the GAA (General Appropriations Act)…
Former Bulacan 1st district assistant engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez revealed on Tuesday that several senators were allegedly involved in anomalous flood control projects.
KaladKaren reacts to viral cash photos from Flood Control Scandal: ‘Ninakaw nilang karapatan ng mga Pilipino’ - LionhearTV
TV host and LGBTQIA+ advocate Jervi Li, popularly known as KaladKaren, expressed outrage on social media after photos of cash bundles allegedly linked to anomalous flood control projects surfaced during the Senate hearings. On X (formerly Twitter), KaladKaren shared one of the images presented by former DPWH assistant engineer Brice Hernandez, writing: “Nakakakilabot makita ‘yung ganito karaming pera. Hindi lang yan basta pera ng taong bayan eh …
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