Senator Jinggoy Estrada is preparing to challenge plunder and graft charges filed against him by the Office of the Ombudsman, citing what he described as procedural failures and overlooked evidence — even as Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed that coordination for his possible arrest is already underway.
Remulla, speaking on Friday, said the government’s position is straightforward. “Surrender or arrest. He mentioned that he needed knee replacement surgery. I replied that it’s up to the Sandiganbayan’s appreciation. Our job is to process his arrest and submit him to the Sandiganbayan,” he said.
The charges against Estrada stem from his alleged role in a flood control corruption scandal. The Department of Justice had earlier recommended filing charges against him alongside former DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan and others, citing alleged manipulation of budget allocations, rigged bidding processes, and the diversion of government infrastructure funds. Estrada’s name entered the picture after former DPWH engineer Brice Hernandez identified him as one of several senators purportedly involved in kickback arrangements in Bulacan. Estrada denied those claims and filed perjury charges against Hernandez in December 2025, though the DOJ dismissed that case for lack of evidence.
In a Facebook statement issued Thursday, Estrada argued that the Ombudsman moved to file charges without conducting its own independent fact-finding investigation — a step he said is required under existing procedure. “Barely a week after the DOJ issued its Resolution in my case, agad nagsampa ng kaso ang Ombudsman nang hindi nagsasagawa ng sarili nitong masusi at independent fact-finding investigation. Sa ilalim ng umiiral na proseso, mahalagang bahagi ang fact-finding investigation bago magsampa ng kaso sa Sandiganbayan,” he said.
He also raised questions about whether the Ombudsman followed through on its earlier stated commitment to an independent review. “Ito ay sa kabila ng naunang pahayag ng Ombudsman na magkakaroon ng ‘independent review and resolution on the merits of the case.’ Batay sa mga pangyayari, malinaw na kailangang suriin kung naisakatuparan nga ang pahayag na ito,” Estrada added.
Among the evidence his legal team intends to present is a letter from the Senate Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office, which Estrada said shows no record of him inserting anything into the 2025 national budget. “Isa itong mahalagang ebidensya na tahasang pinapabulaanan ang lahat ng alegasyon laban sa akin, subalit sadyang isinantabi,” he said. He also claimed he was not given adequate time to review DOJ and Ombudsman resolutions before the case was elevated to the Sandiganbayan, effectively preventing him from filing a motion for reconsideration.
Estrada also drew attention to what he characterized as the accelerated pace of cases involving certain majority bloc senators since Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano succeeded Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III as Senate President.
His legal team, he said, is now formalizing its response. “Sa kasalukuyan, inihahanda ng aking mga abogado ang mga kaukulang hakbang upang mapakita ang mga iregularidad sa naging proseso, gayundin ang mga ebidensyang hindi nabigyan ng sapat na timbang at konsiderasyon,” Estrada said, adding that he and his team would “exhaust all legal remedies” to counter the charges.
This marks the third time Estrada has faced corruption proceedings. In 2014, he was detained in connection with the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam, accused of funneling Priority Development Assistance Fund allocations to fictitious NGOs linked to Janet Lim-Napoles. The Sandiganbayan granted him bail in 2017 after ruling that evidence for plunder was not strong, though the case remained pending. Earlier, in 2001, he was imprisoned for plunder together with his father, former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada.
“As I have said before, if this is the price that I have to pay for standing by my principles and for what I believe in, then so be it,” Estrada said.
