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Infra comm witness leaves House's protective custody despite threats

Philippines | National

Infra comm witness leaves House's protective custody despite threats

By Ellson Quismorio

At A Glance

A crucial witness in the House Infrastructure Committee (infra comm) investigation on the flood control projects scandal has voluntarily left the protective custody of the House of Representatives.

JP Mendoza (PPAB)

JP Mendoza (PPAB)

Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, overall chairman of the infra comm, confirmed to reporters Saturday, Sept. 13 that former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan first district engineer JP Mendoza has left Batasan complex in Quezon City.

"Upon his own request, Mr. Jaypee Mendoza has left the protective custody of the House of Representatives on 12 September 2025," Ridon said.

"He expressed his wish to be with his family at this time," he said of Mendoza.

"The House Infrastructure Committee, nonetheless, hopes that Mr. Mendoza will continue to appear in future committee hearings to provide further information relevant to the ongoing inquiry," Ridon said.

It was Mendoza himself who sought protective custody for him and his family during last infra comm hearing on Sept. 9.

In the middle of the same hearing, Mendoza told the special joint panel that he received threatening messages on his mobile phone.

Minutes before this, Mendoza supported the testimony of his first district engineering colleague, former assistant district engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez, who linked Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada to flood control projects in Bulacan worth almost P1 billion.

Hernandez claimed that the two senators allegedly received 30 percent of that amount in kickbacks through former district engineer Henry Alcantara.

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