Manila – A dramatic turn shook the Senate on Friday when Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III confirmed that he allowed detained engineer Brice Hernandez to temporarily leave Senate custody to gather evidence in the flood control scandal.
Hernandez, a former assistant district engineer in Bulacan, has accused Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva of receiving massive kickbacks from nearly ₱1 billion worth of flood control projects in the province.
Guarded But Determined
Sotto revealed that Hernandez would not walk free unescorted.
“Yes, I allowed it already. Man-to-man guarding—even in the room—to locate the documents he needs to show. He’ll be back at the Senate by 6 p.m.,” Sotto said.
Hernandez remains in detention after being cited for contempt by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. But despite his confinement, he has not stopped pushing to prove his claims.
A Battle for Evidence
On Thursday, Hernandez begged the Blue Ribbon Committee to lift the contempt order so he could gather proof of high-ranking officials’ involvement.
Committee chair Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson refused, saying it would be unfair to others also held in contempt. But Sotto later intervened, signing an order allowing Hernandez to testify before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) — a body created by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to dig deeper into flood project anomalies.
Explosive Allegations
According to Hernandez, Estrada and Villanueva received at least 30% in kickbacks from questionable projects in Bulacan.
Both senators immediately denied the allegations. Still, Lacson pointed out that neither lawmaker has been cleared of suspicion over budget insertions amounting to ₱600 million and ₱355 million in separate projects.
The Stakes Are High
For Hernandez, this rare chance outside Senate walls could make or break his credibility. If he presents solid proof, the scandal could reach even higher levels of government. If not, his claims risk being dismissed as baseless.
What’s certain is this: the fight to uncover the truth behind billions in flood control funds is far from over.
