JJZ are the three musketeers of the P1-trillion flood-gate or flood control scam – the largest act of corruption, the biggest looting of our money ever.
JJZ – Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva and Zaldy (Elizaldy) Co. The first two are incumbent senators. Co is a resigned congressman, now a world-class fugitive.
The trio are the soldiers of unbridled corruption and greed. They man the ramparts of the battle against the biggest cleanup launched by any sitting government against corruption. They have deployed the musket of their popularity, the cult of the religion of mass hysteria that has ensconced them in the pantheon of false icons and false gods, draped with seeming invincibility.
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure has compiled damning testimonies against the Three Musketeers of Corruption.
In their Oct. 28, 2025 interim report with the anti-graft prosecutor ombudsman, the three-man commission recommended the filing of plunder charges against the trio by the ombudsman before the Sandiganbayan. The anti-graft court tries corruption cases of ranking government officials, with salary Grade 27 (a monthly salary of P132,000 or P1.7 million annually).
A pay of P1.7 million for a legislator who works only three hours a day for 200 out of 365 days is not enough wherewithal for the trio. They need to rake in hundreds, if not billions. They do and did – thanks to the trillion-peso flood-gate.
According to ICI documents, Zaldy Co wangled from the Department of Public Works and Highways 426 flood control projects worth P35 billion in the past three years alone, 2022-2025. He took a 20 percent cut in 2022. The cut increased to 25 percent in 2023 to 2025, enabling him to pocket easily P7 billion.
P7 billion is like earning P1.7 million a year for 4,188 YEARS. So why not be corrupt? Easy money – more than enough to buy bags, blingblings and Boeing jets for yourself, your dear wife, your kids and your immediate family, with enough money left to buy the best lawyer money can buy to defend you and BUY your acquittal.
Because per DPWH records, Zaldy got P86.1 billion worth of contracts in the past 10 years. A 20 percent cut on that is P17.22 BILLION. With that money, you can buy half of the 286 companies listed in the PSE. And most of the best lawyers in town. To BUY your acquittal.
Each time Cong. Zaldy proposes a project, relates ICI, DPWH Bulacan 1st Engineering District chief Engr. Henry Alcantara gives an obligation based on the project budget and their agreement. For 2022, Cong. Zaldy asked for 20 percent and from 2023 up to 2025, he asked for 25 percent of the project funding. Zaldy got his loot three ways.
During the NEP, National Expenditure Program, the proposed budget of the President;
During the bicam. If a project was proposed in the bicam, Co would ask for 10 percent of the funding after the GAA is proposed in the house and then the rest of the 10 percent or 15 percent would be given to him two months after passing the GAA.
Project proposed in the Unprogrammed Allocation. If a project is proposed under the Unprogrammed Allocation, Co would immediately ask for and be given the whole 25 percent of the funding.
If the project was proposed during the NEP, Cong. Zaldy would ask for 10 percent of the funding. The remaining 10 percent or 15 percent would be given to him after it was approved in the GAA (General Appropriations Act), when the budget becomes law.
ICI: ‘These large sums would be paid by the contractors as an advance without them knowing where these sums would go. The sums allocated for Cong. Zaldy would be brought to Engr. Alcantara who then later brought it to ‘Alyas Paul’ and ‘Alyas Mark.’ These were brought to a parking lot at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. There were other times when the sums were brought to Cong. Zaldy’s house at Ladybug Street, Valle Verde 6, Pasig City.’
Alcantara’s deputy, engineer Brice Hernandez, corroborated his chief’s testimony.
ICI: ‘Brice was introduced to Cong. Co in 2021 by Engr. Alcantara as someone who would help them get funding for Bulacan. Engr. Hernandez accompanied Engr. Alcantara to a meeting with Cong. Zaldy at The Fort, Shangri-la where Cong. Co has a penthouse. At the meeting, Cong. Co and Engr. Alcantara agreed on the 25 percent SOP per project. To celebrate their transaction, Engr. Alcantara gave Cong. Co P20 million as ‘Christmas gift,’ which was delivered by one Paul Duya and received by Cong. Co’s chief of staff, Mr. Paul Estrada.’
Joel Villanueva
In 2022, the senator asked for a multipurpose building worth P1.5 billion. Approved, but only for P600 million which angered Villanueva. To appease the displeased senator, USec. Roberto Bernardo and Engr. Alcantara were forced to ‘gumawa ng paraan.’
Villanueva was given P600-million flood control projects under the 2023 Unprogrammed Allocations; 25 percent of the amount, P150 million, was brought personally by Engr. Alcantara to a rest house at Barangay Igulot, Bocaue, Bulacan and was left with a certain ‘Peng,’ who works for Sen. Villanueva, with the instructions to hand the same to him.
Jinggoy Estrada
In 2024, Engr. Alcantara and DPWH USec. Bernardo attended the budget hearing at the Senate. USec. Bernardo asked if ‘mayroon pa akong gustong lagyan’ since a certain ‘SJE’ still had an excess of P355 million.
Alcantara produced projects in 10-15 minutes, all flood control. Said ICI: ‘Like the other transactions, 25 percent of the amounts was supposed to be given to the proponent.’
ICI: ‘Engr. Hernandez usually communicates with a certain Ms. Mina and Beng Ramos about projects pertaining to Sen. Estrada. Ms. Mina is likewise a representative of WJ Construction which has several projects in the 1st DEO of Bulacan.’
Plunder is non-bailable. The penalty is life imprisonment.