Joel Villanueva denied that he received kickbacks from flood control projects
Senator Joel Villanueva had this video with dismissed Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) official Henry Alcantara after he said that they never had transactions.
The Senator’s name was dragged into the flood control project issue when DPWH Bulacan assistant district engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez accused him of receiving kickbacks from the said projects, along with his fellow lawmaker, Senator Jinggoy Estrada.
Villanueva has denied that he received kickbacks. He even said that there were pieces of evidence that could support his statement.
Then, he pointed out that he is being dragged into the issue because he showed affidavits of Bulacan DPWH, which he intended to expose during the Senate hearing. He even promised to cooperate and share everything he knows.
The lawmaker was interviewed by GMA News last September, in which he said that he had never had a transaction with Henry Alcantara. However, an old clip showed that the Senator was present during the inauguration of the Binang-Poblacion bridge in Bulacan.
A clip was also shown in which Alcantara said that the late Mayor Joni Villanueva wanted to include the reconstruction of the water pipes. Alcantara replied that they had a problem, the budget for that additional construction.
Then, Alcantara shared that the Mayor replied that her “diko” or older brother would take care of this. “So kapag kinakausap ako ni sen, D. E. magkano pa ang kulang natin diyan? Kasi talagang kinukulit po siya,” Alcantara said about Sen. Joel Villanueva.
Because of this, the Senator received negative reactions from netizens. Some called him a “liar,” while some expressed dismay that they voted for him because of his “credibility.” Here are some comments.
As of this writing, the lawmaker has not spoken yet about this viral video contradicting his statement.