Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said he will take legal action against former Bulacan assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez, who accused him of receiving a 30 percent kickback from ₱355 million worth of projects.
At a House Committee on Infrastructure hearing, Hernandez presented photos of Estrada with former Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara, along with screenshots of alleged conversations involving a supposed member of Estrada’s staff.
“Yes, sasampahan ko ng kaso ‘yan. I have to talk to my lawyers,” Estrada told reporters.
He denied knowing Hernandez, calling him a liar. “Nagulat ako, nagalit talaga ako. Napakasinungaling nitong taong ‘to. Hinding-hindi ko siya kilala, and I have never met that guy,” Estrada said.
The senator argued that common sense alone would show he had nothing to hide. “Kung talagang may kinalaman ako rito, I would have abstained from this hearing. Malakas ang loob ko dahil wala akong ginawang ilegal,” he said.
Estrada also distanced himself from other evidence presented. He said he could not recall when he had a photo taken with Alcantara and denied employing a staff member named Beng Ramos, who appeared in the screenshot conversations.
“She was never my staff. She was with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and I never authorized her or anyone else,” Estrada said, adding that Ramos was once the girlfriend of one of his staff members.
