Jamaine Punzalan

Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

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ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1758247254763JINGGOY-JOEL.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Friday that Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada were not yet cleared from the issue of alleged budget insertions even after their face-off with Brice Hernandez, the former Bulacan district engineer who tagged them in flood control anomalies.</p><p>Lacson noted that at Thursday&#x27;s hearing of the Blue Ribbon Committee, some P600 million supposedly for flood control projects in Bulacan was found in the unprogrammed fund under the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA), which Hernandez earlier linked to Villanueva. </p><p> Lacson said his office also found in the regular budget of the 2025 GAA the P355 million in infrastructure projects in Bulacan that Hernandez linked to Estrada. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/18/lacson-alleged-estrada-insertions-seen-in-2025-budget-none-for-villanueva-1347">Lacson: Alleged Estrada insertions seen in 2025 GAA; Villanueva&#x27;s in 2023 unprogrammed funds</a></div><p>&quot;By any measure, Senators Villanueva and Estrada have not been cleared, at least on the issue of budget insertions involving infrastructure projects in Bulacan worth P600M and P355M respectively, as alleged by Engr Brice Hernandez,&quot; he said on X.</p><p>Hernandez had accused Villanueva and Estrada of accepting payoffs from flood control projects, which they both denied.</p><p>Villanueva on Thursday said it would only take several seconds to fabricate Hernandez’s claims on the senator’s supposed conversation with another former Bulacan district engineer, Henry Alcantara. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/18/villanueva-casts-doubt-on-ex-dpwh-officials-photos-linking-him-to-corruption-1608">&#x27;Napakadaling mag-doktor&#x27;: Villanueva casts doubt on photos linking him to corruption</a></div><p>Estrada meanwhile asserted that he had not ties with the contractor that Hernandez accused of delivering payoffs to the Senate. Hernandez also admitted that he never personally saw Alcantara handing money to the senator. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/18/contractor-rejects-brice-hernandez-s-payoff-claims-denies-ties-to-estrada-1305">Contractor rejects Brice Hernandez’s payoff claims, denies ties to Estrada</a></div><p>Lacson, chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, said he allowed Estrada and Villanueva to participate in the proceedings because “it is a person’s basic right to confront his accuser.” </p><p>“In case you didn’t notice, I did not clear the two senators on the issue of budget insertions bcoz the budget books validate Brice Hernandez’s allegations based on my own staff’s research, at least in the case of Sen Estrada,&quot; Lacson said on X.</p><p>&quot;Every person, ordinary or senator, has equal rights. I actually consulted my legal staff before making that decision to allow them. On the other hand, the two senators have not been cleared of the budget insertions under the 2023 and 2025 GAA’s. I made that very clear today,&quot; he added.</p><div><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lrYV_FM_tfU?list=PLgyY1WylJUmgylSTaSidvtBHziadOuD0J" title="Paliwanag ni Win: Paano nakukuha ng DPWH ang unprogrammed funds | DZMM Teleradyo" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Friday that Senators Jinggoy Estrada and <i>Joel Villanueva </i>were not yet cleared from the issue of alleged budget insertions even after their face-off with Brice Hernandez, the former Bulacan district engineer who tagged them in flood control anomalies.</p>

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Friday that Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva were not yet cleared from the issue of alleged budget insertions even after their face-off with Brice Hernandez, the former Bulacan district engineer who tagged them in flood control anomalies.

Lacson: Estrada, Villanueva not yet cleared in budget insertion issue

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Lacson: Estrada, Villanueva not yet cleared in budget insertion issue

ABS-CBN News

Published September 19, 2025 10:08 AM PHT

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DPWH

corruption

flood control

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Ping Lacson

Joel Villanueva

Jinggoy Estrada

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