By Wilnard Bacelonia
MANILA – Former Department of Public Works and Highways Bulacan First District Assistant Engineer Brice Hernandez on Tuesday admitted before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee that he once won up to PHP30 million in a single night of gambling, even as senators confronted him with reports of nearly PHP600 million in suspicious bank transactions.
Hernandez said he and his group frequented casinos two to three times a week, usually accompanied by his former superior, dismissed DPWH Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara.
He claimed Alcantara would often bankroll their trips, sometimes bringing as much as PHP20 million in cash.
“Mga PHP20 million hanggang PHP30 million po siguro sa isang gabi ang pinakamalaki kong napanalunan (Around PHP20 million to PHP30 million in one night was the biggest I ever won),” Hernandez told senators.
Senator Raffy Tulfo pressed him on findings by the Anti-Money Laundering Council, which flagged 36 bank accounts and 190 deposits under his name and those of his relatives amounting to PHP597 million.
“You’re under contempt already and you continue lying. The AMLC records are here,” Tulfo warned.
Hernandez denied owning such sums, saying some transactions may have come from his sibling’s buy-and-sell ventures.
“Nakiki-share lang po ako sa buy-and-sell ng kapatid ko, minsan motor, minsan sasakyan (I only shared in my sibling’s buy-and-sell business, sometimes motorcycles, sometimes cars),” he said.
Tulfo also accused Hernandez of using a fake driver’s license under the name “Marvin de Guzman” to gain casino entry, a violation of the ban on government employees entering gaming establishments.
Hernandez said he did not personally procure the ID and that casino staff facilitated his membership.
“Gusto lang po nilang makapasok kami, sila na po ang gumawa ng paraan (They just wanted us to play, so they found a way for us),” he said.
Senate Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson ordered the committee to summon Archival Torregoza, a casino contact allegedly involved in issuing false IDs.
“If it’s true that casinos invite government officials and even provide false identities, then they are complicit in corruption,” Lacson said.
The inquiry is part of the Senate’s ongoing investigation into anomalous flood control projects in Bulacan and suspicions that gambling venues were used to launder illicit funds. (PNA)
