All documents, including the computer, and other items that were retrieved by former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez will undergo the proper procedure to preserve the chain of custody, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.

This after the Senate allowed Hernandez to leave the premises last Saturday to gather evidence on his allegations of payoffs and kickbacks, including those allegedly made by Senators Jinggoy Estrada, and Joel Villanueva and former Rep. Mitch Cajayon-Uy.

Estrada and Villanueva have since denied allegations linking them to the flood control mess.

“He brought back items including documents and a computer, but these items are sealed for now. We will follow a procedure to preserve the chain of custody,” Lacson said in Filipino, in an interview on DZBB radio.

“We need to preserve the chain of custody so that if the evidence is vital to a case, it will not be compromised,” the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chief also said.

The next hearing of the blue ribbon panel would be on Tuesday, September 22, at 9 a.m.

Lacson said “new developments” also surfaced and thus, the panel prepared invitations to some former DPWH officials.

Should there be evidence that would include evidence of kickbacks or commissions, Lacson said he will immediately send them to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) for investigation and prosecution.

Lacson assured that the Blue Ribbon and ICI are complementary and not competing.

“Even if the Blue Ribbon Committee has not finished its probe or come out with a committee report, I will send those pieces of evidence to the ICI to help in its own investigation,” he said.

Bonoan, Bernardo invited

Moreover, Lacson said resigned DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan and retired Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo may be among those that will be invited by the panel.

According to Lacson, Bernardo was among the persons in a photo taken with the so-called “BGC Boys,” engineers involved in the corruption behind substandard and ghost projects in Bulacan's first engineering district.

The “BGC Boys”, who included Hernandez, had also gambled away hundreds of millions of pesos in taxpayers' money in casinos.

Lacson, who noted Bernardo was responsible for the appointment to the Bulacan first District Engineering Office (DEO) of Henry Alcantara and Hernandez, said the photo was taken at a “tambayan” or the house of one Loren Cruz, Alcantara's bagman.

“What was Bernardo doing in that gathering with the BGC Boys? He has some explaining to do,” Lacson said.

Bonoan, on the other hand, is the appointing authority and may need to shed light on how more than P600-million in cash deliveries were made by SYMS Construction owner Sally Santos to the first DEO this year.

Santos is now in protective custody, with personnel from the Philippine National Police's Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG) augmenting her security.

Senate to weigh in on Discayas’ fitness to be state witnesses

On Monday, Lacson and Senate President Vicente Sotto III will meet with Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to discuss the state witness bids of Hernandez and Cezarah (Sarah) and Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya.

Because while Hernandez has already shown signs of remorse and willingness to cooperate, Curlee Discaya appeared to be “opportunistic” and still won’t cooperate at last Thursday’s hearing even after being granted legislative immunity, unlike Santos.

Lacson said it is imperative that the Discayas show good faith, including restitution. He agreed that the couple can take action by repairing substandard and ghost projects but only if they do it at their own expense.

“They should not obligate the government to assist them because they already cheated the government,”  he said.