Senate Probe Intensifies as Key Witness Flees Country
Senator Panfilo Lacson Jr. disclosed crucial information during the resumed Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation on Friday, November 14, 2025, revealing that one of the key figures in the controversial flood control projects scandal has left the Philippines.
The committee chairman confirmed that John Paul Estrada, identified as an executive assistant to former Ako Bicol party-list Representative Elizaldy "Zaldy" Co, departed the country on September 2, 2025, according to official records from the Bureau of Immigration.
International Manhunt Initiated
"We are now coordinating with the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime to coordinate with Interpol to track the movements of John Paul Estrada and other personalities who are now abroad, whose attendance will be needed by this committee," Lacson stated during the hearing.
Estrada's destination was confirmed as Hong Kong, raising concerns about the ability to secure his testimony in the ongoing probe into alleged kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects.
Meanwhile, the investigation revealed that another reported executive assistant of Co, Mark Tecsay, remains in the country with no recorded departure from the Philippines.
Shocking Allegations of Cash Deliveries
The Senate hearing heard explosive testimony from Orly Guteza, who identified himself as a former security aide of Representative Co. Guteza claimed that Estrada and Tecsay regularly received boxes containing cash at the lawmaker's residence in an upscale Pasig City subdivision.
In one particularly startling allegation, Guteza testified that ACT-CIS party-list Representative Eric Yap sent 46 suitcases filled with cash to Co's residence, which were allegedly received by Estrada and Tecsay.
The former security aide further claimed that the two executive assistants accompanied deliveries of millions of pesos in cash to former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, adding another layer of complexity to the expanding investigation.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee continues to pursue all leads in what has become one of the most significant corruption probes in recent years, with international cooperation now necessary to track down crucial witnesses.
