Jinggoy asks court OK for trip abroad amid graft case

Senator Jinggoy Estrada has asked the Sandiganbayan to allow him to travel to Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan while the court is still resolving the 11 graft charges filed against him over the alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) during his previous term as senator.

Based on the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division’s March 10 court calendar, where the cases are pending, Estrada filed a motion seeking permission to travel to the said destinations from March 31 to April 5.

Estrada appeared before the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday for the trial of the 11 graft cases against him and at least 20 other co-accused.

He is currently out on bail, as graft is a bailable offense.

In January, Estrada also appeared before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division to report his return to the Philippines after a previous trip abroad that included stops in Japan, Norway, and Austria.

Estrada is facing 11 counts of violation of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, over the alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam exposed in 2013. The cases are pending before the Sandiganbayan.

The Office of the Ombudsman accused Estrada of channeling portions of his PDAF allocations to non-government organizations linked to businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles in exchange for kickbacks.

Prosecutors said about ₱183 million of Estrada’s PDAF was funneled to Napoles-linked NGOs for supposed livelihood and development projects that were later found to be non-existent or irregular.

In January 2024, however, the Sandiganbayan acquitted him of plunder but found him guilty of one count of direct bribery and two counts of indirect bribery related to the scheme.

The 11 graft counts, which are separate from the plunder case, remain pending and continue to undergo trial before the anti-graft court.

In 2025, fresh allegations have also surfaced linking Estrada to the supposed misuse of funds for flood control projects, although these have not yet reached the trial stage before the Sandiganbayan.

The accusations emerged during congressional hearings last year, when a former official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) claimed that some lawmakers allegedly received commissions from flood control project budgets.

Estrada was among the officials named in the testimony, which alleged that certain legislators received a percentage of project funds in exchange for inserting the projects into the national budget.

The senator has denied the allegations and maintained that he had no involvement in any irregularities involving flood control funds.—MCG, GMA Integrated News