Dismissed engineer Brice Hernandez voluntarily surrendered one of his luxury vehicles as a gesture of cooperation when he faced members of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Friday to answer questions over alleged irregularities in flood control projects in Bulacan.
Hernandez was one of the first assistant district engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Bulacan, who worked directly under fellow sacked district engineer Henry Alcantara in several “ghost” projects across the province.
The ICI, created to investigate corruption and inefficiency in major government infrastructure programs, invited Hernandez for questioning. He is currently detained by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee along with others co-accused for possible malversation of public funds.
“Mr. Hernandez’s revelations are very relevant. And to cut it short, it’s really a tell-all and he continued to cooperate with us in order to really further identify others involved,” ICI special adviser and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said in an interview.
“All I can say is that he mentioned a lot of things that he hadn’t mentioned before. He told us a lot of details that he hadn’t mentioned in other forums,” Magalong added.
Magalong, moreover, said Hernandez shared “very” sensitive and useful information to the ICI that could be used as a lead by the investigators.
Lawmakers have been holding parallel hearings into the matter, citing complaints from communities that billions of pesos allocated for flood mitigation had not translated into lasting solutions.
Hernandez had earlier testified before both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
In a statement, ICI Chairman retired Justice Andres Reyes Jr. said Hernandez “answered all questions freely and voluntarily without evasion and showed full cooperation.”
He added that the engineer’s decision to surrender a luxury vehicle, with others expected to follow, demonstrated his “good faith and willingness to further cooperate with the Commission.”
The surrendered vehicle has not yet been disclosed publicly, but its turnover to investigators underscores the growing pressure on current and former DPWH officials to account for unexplained assets in the wake of the probe.
“He will also turn over the Ferrari worth P59-million, the Lamborghini worth P30-40 million. He will also give us some motorcycles,” Magalong said.
Magalong said Hernandez was made aware of the implications of his decision and was advised of his options before ultimately deciding that full cooperation with the ICI would be in his best interest.
Flood control spending has been one of the biggest components of the DPWH budget in recent years, drawing criticism from watchdogs who flagged possible overpricing, overlapping projects, and incomplete works.
Hernandez’s testimony was adjourned and will resume at the directive of the commission, which is expected to summon other district and central office officials in the coming weeks.
