Jinggoy Estrada floats Ridon, Brice Hernandez school ties

Senator Jinggoy Estrada has linked Bicol Saro party-list Representative Terry Ridon to former Bulacan 1st district assistant engineer Brice Hernandez, insinuating that the two have known each other since their school days. 

But Ridon, chairman of the House committee on public accounts, denied that Hernandez was his classmate at Lourdes School Quezon City. 

“‘Di ko man lang maalala, ‘di ko man lang naging kaklase si Brice sa Lourdes QC bago ako nagpuntang Ateneo,” the congressman said in a Facebook post. 

(I may not remember it, Brice was not even my classmate at Lourdes QC before I went to Ateneo.) 

He said he was only 12 years old when the photo was taken.

Ridon also tagged the National Privacy Commission as he lamented that the address of his grandmother was made public because of Estrada's post.

"We would want to be able to give Senator Jinggoy the opportunity to take the post down. Galit tayo pero hindi naman ho tayo gigil na gigil. So I hope this gets resolved in the soonest time," he said.

Explaining pictures

Turning the tables on Estrada, he said the senator should explain the photos showing him with former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and former DPWH District Engineer Henry Alcantara.

"The more important pictures would be the pictures of him with Engineer Henry Alcantara, Usec Bernardo. Those people worked with his father in the city of Manila. Si Engineer Alcantara denied knowing Senator Jinggoy. Pero he was there in the birthday party of Senator Jinggoy. And probably with Undersecretary Bernardo," Ridon said.

"These two personalities are at the epicenter of the Bulacan flood control corruption controversy. So I think that those are the pictures that are more important to be explained, not by me, but by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada," Ridon added.

Jinggoy's post

Estrada on Wednesday posted a yearbook photo of Ridon alongside Hernandez, with a caption, “Safe kaya tayo sa kanila? (Are we safe with them?)” The senator indicated a hashtag saying “batchmate sila (they were batchmates). 

He also included other hashtags such as “investigation [or] reunion,” “liars go to hell,” and “casino pa more.”

GMA News Online reached out to Estrada for an explanation of his post, but he has yet to reply.

To recall, Hernandez accused Estrada, as well as Senator Joel Villanueva, during a House hearing on Tuesday of being involved in anomalous flood control projects.

Both senators have denied the allegation.

Ridon, meanwhile, described Hernandez's testimony as "very important" in the ongoing probe amid the public interest to unmask politicians involved in supposed anomalous deals. 

The congressman also said that Estrada and Villanueva are free to attend the House infrastructure committee probe on flood control projects to respond to allegations of corruption.

However, Ridon clarified that the committee does not intend to invite Estrada and Villanueva in adherence to inter-parliamentary courtesy.

"We don't want to break inter-parliamentary courtesy but they are free to go to the Infra Comm if they would want to. Para din po sila po yung magbigay ng kanila pong pahayag. Pero we will not break it. So sila na lang po yung magpasya kung gusto po nila magpunta o hindi," Ridon said.

Witness protection?

Meanwhile, Ridon said the InfraComm is studying whether Hernandez and former DPWH Bulacan 1st District assistant engineer Jaypee Mendoza can qualify for witness protection.

"Pinag-aaralan na rin po namin yung witness protection for Jaypee Mendoza and Brice Hernandez. Kasi sila naman po talaga 'yung malakas po yung loob na nagpakita dito po lahat ng mga dokumento, litrato, ebidensya, laban po sa dalawang senador ng atin pong bansa," Ridon stated.

(We are studying witness protection for Jaypee Mendoza and Brice Hernandez, because they are the ones who are ready to show all the documents, photos and evidence against the two senators of our country.)

"It will be a request to the DOJ to grant witness protection for the two individuals. This will require, siyempre, 'yung recommendation po ng komite at approval din po ng Speaker of the House (This will require, of course, the recommendation of the committee and the approval of the Speaker of the House as well)," he added.

At a Senate hearing on Monday, contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya also disclosed the names of several congressmen, their staff, and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPHW) who are allegedly involved in corruption in the country’s flood control projects. —AOL/ VDV, GMA Integrated News