Senate CCTV Captures Construction Official’s Visit Amid Flood Control Kickback Probe

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson announced on Thursday that Senate closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage captured a visit by an official from WJ Construction, a company implicated in alleged kickbacks to Senator Jinggoy Estrada. The footage shows a woman, identified only as "Mina," entering the Senate premises on August 19, the same day the chamber's antigraft committee commenced its inquiry into suspicious flood control projects managed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

"As we speak, we have video evidence showing Mina’s visit," Lacson stated during the "Kapihan sa Senado" media forum. "While we have some idea where she went and whose office she visited, we will summon her to determine the exact details."

Lacson, who now chairs the Senate blue ribbon committee following leadership changes in the Senate, confirmed he had ordered the preservation of the CCTV footage, stressing the importance of securing it promptly since the recordings are retained for only one month. "It is fortunate that the footage dates to August 19 because by now, around September 20, it would have been erased," he explained.

Preliminary information indicates that Mina visited a senator’s office, though Lacson withheld the lawmaker’s identity pending further verification. The Senate CCTV operator is expected to testify during the next hearing scheduled for September 18.

This revelation surfaces shortly after Brice Ericson Hernandez, a suspended DPWH district engineer from Bulacan, testified before the House infrastructure committee. Hernandez accused WJ Construction of acting as a conduit for Estrada’s alleged 30-percent cut from flood control projects worth ₱355 million. He further implicated a person named Beng Ramos, who purportedly introduced herself as Estrada’s staff and collected the senator’s supposed commissions.

Senator Estrada has vehemently denied these accusations, asserting that Ramos has never been part of his office since his initial Senate term in 2004.