Surrender of Jinggoy Estrada

Surrender of Jinggoy Estrada

Part of the Flood control projects scandal in the Philippines
File:Jinggoy Estrada saying he won't seek Senate custody (June 1, 2026).jpg Jinggoy Estrada announcing that he would not seek Senate custody prior to his surrender
Date	June 1, 2026 (2026-06-01)
Arrests	Jinggoy Estrada

On June 1, 2026, Senator Jinggoy Estrada surrendered to authorities at Camp Crame after the Sandiganbayan issued a warrant for his arrest on a non-bailable plunder charge arising from the flood control corruption scandal. The charge had been filed by the Office of the Ombudsman days earlier in connection with alleged kickbacks from flood control projects in Bulacan.

At the time of his arrest, Estrada was the highest-ranking elected official to be charged and detained in relation to the scandal, which had already implicated numerous former lawmakers, contractors, and public works officials.

Background

Main article: Flood control projects scandal in the Philippines

Estrada previously faced a plunder case in 2001 alongside his father, former President Joseph Estrada, over allegations that they received ₱545 million in protection money from jueteng operators, diverted ₱130 million in tobacco excise tax shares belonging to Ilocos Sur, received ₱189.7 million from Belle Corporation in connection with the purchase of company shares by the Government Service Insurance System and the Social Security System, and maintained a bank account under the name "Jose Velarde" containing ₱3.23 billion at Equitable PCI Bank in Binondo, Manila. He was acquitted after the Sandiganbayan ruled that prosecutors had failed to establish his guilt beyond reasonable doubt. In 2014, Estrada was arrested and detained in connection with the pork barrel scam after being accused of receiving approximately ₱183 million in kickbacks from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations. He was released on bail in 2017. In January 2024, the Sandiganbayan acquitted him of plunder but convicted him of one count of direct bribery and two counts of indirect bribery, a ruling that was reversed by the anti-graft court in August 2024.

In a Senate hearing on September 23, Henry Alcantara, the chief of the Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) 1st Bulacan district, said that a 355 million peso insertion for Estrada took place in 2024, utilizing seven flood control projects in Hagonoy and Malolos, Bulacan, only representing 25 percent of the kickback money Estrada received. On October 8, 2025, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) urged the Department of Justice to issue Immigration Lookout Bulletin Orders against Estrada and 29 other lawmakers in connection with its investigation into the flood control scandal. DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo in a hearing on November 14 said that he worked with Estrada, him calling Bernardo in the third quarter of 2024 for 1 billion pesos worth of projects due to the upcoming elections. Bernardo's supplemental affidavit said that Estrada's total kickbacks from flood control projects was 2.3 billion pesos. The DOJ suggested to the Office of the Ombudsman on May 18 to file plunder and graft cases against Estrada and former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, the Ombudsman responding that it has received the request.

On May 28, 2026, the Ombudsman filed charges of plunder, bribery, and multiple counts of graft and corruption against Estrada, Bonoan, and several current and former DPWH assistant district engineers Denryl Caesar S. Cortuna and former district engineers Manny B. Bulusan and Arturo L. Gonzales Jr. Prosecutors alleged that Estrada received approximately ₱573 million in kickbacks from flood control and infrastructure projects worth around ₱1.4 billion in Bulacan. On May 29, 2026, the Sandiganbayan Second Division issued warrants of arrest against Estrada and Bonoan for the graft charges filed in connection with the flood control scandal. Both surrendered before the court, posted bail of ₱90,000 each, and were subsequently released pending trial.

Surrender and arrest

June 1 arrest over plunder charges

On June 1, 2026, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division issued warrants of arrest against Estrada, Bonoan, and former DPWH officials Cortuna, Bulusan, and Gonzales Jr. after finding probable cause to proceed with the non-bailable plunder charge. Just before noon, Estrada questioned the filing of plunder and graft cases against him, with his team asking the court to consolidate the cases, postpone the warrants of arrest, and reinvestigate the cases. Before 14:00 PHT, there was some conspiracy of an arrest warrant against Estrada by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division. This was confirmed at 14:11 PHT when Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed the warrant, stating that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) would implement it. The Sandiganbayan confirmed the warrant, too, shortly after. Personnel of the CIDG arrived at 14:30 PHT in the Senate building but did not say if they were there to arrest Estrada. At 15:20 PHT, Remulla also arrived in the Senate, stating he was just there for work. At 15:37 PHT, before surrendering, Estrada held a press conference at the Senate together with Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and fellow majority bloc senators Camille Villar, Rodante Marcoleta, and Imee Marcos. During the press conference, Estrada claimed that he had been approached by intermediaries who allegedly offered to have the cases against him dropped if he left the Senate majority bloc and joined the minority. He said he rejected the proposal and chose to remain with the majority coalition, adding that he will "not fight from the charges" and said that the Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO) told the Ombudsman that he did not make any insertions to the 2025 budget. Estrada also announced that he would not seek Senate protective custody and had instructed the Secretary of the Senate to suspend the release of his salary and allowances while he remained in detention.

He subsequently surrendered to the CIDG at the Senate. In a press conference, Remulla revealed that Estrada had attempted to invoke senators' immunity to prevent his arrest, referring to a time when senators were not allowed to be arrested in the senate building, to which Remulla responded, "Sir, I'm sorry. You lost that privilege when Bato [Senator Ronald Dela Rosa] escaped." During the implementation of the arrest warrant, a heated exchange took place between Cayetano and Remulla, with Cayetano objecting to the arrest being carried out within Senate premises and Remulla insisting that authorities were enforcing a lawful court order. Remulla had added that he had an altercation with one of Estrada's two daughters, although he could not tell which one. Authorities then read to Estrada his Miranda rights before escorting him out. In a vehicle, Estrada left the Senate before 16:00 PHT accompanied by Cayetano and joined by a convoy carrying Remulla. There was debate on whether Estrada had been arrested or surrendered. National Union of Peoples' Lawyers President Ephraim Cortez said that Estrada had only surrendered after arrest had been inevitable. Although Bonoan surrendered too, he was placed under hospital arrest due to a high blood pressure of 192/100, Remulla stating that a stroke was imminent with a blood pressure that high. He still stated that security around him was high and he was not allowed to leave.

At 16:23 PHT, Estrada arrived at Camp Crame. By then, Cortuna had already been admitted to the jail at 17:47 PHT. After undergoing booking procedures at Camp Crame such as medical examination, mugshots, and taking fingerprints, the Sandiganbayan ordered Estrada's detention at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas, where several other respondents in the flood control cases were being held. Cayetano then accompanied Estrada to the CIDG's National Capital Region office. Due to many people accompanying Estrada, the CIDG glass door broke. He stayed at Camp Crame for an hour. For the return of the arrest warrant and commitment order, deciding where he will stay during the trial, Estrada arrived at the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division just a few minutes before 18:00 PHT, where he stayed at the courtroom for more than an hour. He was seen talking to lawyers and relatives and underwent his booking procedure again. Estrada left the court at around 19:40 PHT; when he was walking towards his vehicle, reporters asked him about his third time with a plunder case, yet he did not answer. In a press conference at Camp Crame, Remulla rejected the claim that Estrada had voluntarily surrendered. Estrada underwent the prescribed medical assessments before being admitted to the jail at 20:15 PHT. Estrada was admitted in the same conditions as the general jail population, being treated under the same rules and detention protocols.

Aftermath and reactions

The arrest has led to the disruption of the Senate's scheduled 17:00 PHT session; all 13 majority senators were absent, leaving the 11 members of "Solid Bloc 11", or the minority, in the chamber. This led to the stop of the session due to a lack of quorum. The arraignment of Estrada and Bonoan will be held on June 2 for their graft case while their arraignment for the plunder case will be held two days later. Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV has rejected Estrada's claims of a removal of cases in exchange for leaving the majority bloc, stating that issues on accountability should not be politicized.

See also

• Attempts to arrest Ronald dela Rosa
• Trial of Joseph Estrada

References

Template:Flood control projects scandal in the Philippines

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