Ombudsman files plunder, graft cases vs Jinggoy Estrada

The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday filed plunder and two counts of graft cases against Senator Jinggoy Estrada with the Sandiganbayan over alleged kickbacks from the government's flood control projects.

The filing of cases marked the third time that plunder and other related charges were filed against Estrada in the last 25 years.

Former Public Works and Highways secretary Manuel Bonoan was also included in the charge sheet alongside DPWH National Capital Region District Engineers Manny Bulusan and Arturo Gonzalez, Jr. and Assistant District Engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna.

Estrada is the highest-ranking incumbent government official to face criminal raps over the flood control mess so far.

He was previously charged with plunder in 2001 involving jueteng (illegal numbers game) money, and again charged with plunder, graft, direct and indirect bribery in 2014 over alleged misuse of his P183 million discretionary or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

He was acquitted in the plunder, direct and indirect bribery cases, but he is still facing 11 counts of graft before the Sandiganbayan in connection with his alleged misuse of PDAF funds.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano and other Ombudsman personnel arrive in the Sandiganbayan for the filing of criminal charges against Senator Jinggoy Estrada in connection with the flood control mess @gmanews pic.twitter.com/b8NWp5cTI4

— Llanesca T. Panti (@llanescajourno) May 28, 2026

“The cases stem from an intricate mechanism involving illegal budgetary insertions and project allocations within the DPWH infrastructure portfolio for fiscal year 2025. Our evaluation shows that substantial public funds were deliberately funneled into designated infrastructure projects in exchange for predetermined commission fees or kickbacks,” Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said.

“Case records point to an accumulated sum of illicit payouts amounting to an aggregate sum of over P573 million, which were systematically delivered to the principal respondent, Senator Jinggoy Estrada,” he added.

Clavano also noted that while the Senate’s Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office issued a certification that Estrada never made insertions in the 2024 and 2025 national budget, such certification does not hold weight.

“This certificate does not capture all stages of the budgetary process wherein insertions may be made in a layered method,” he pointed out.

Clavano said the Ombudsman dropped former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, former NCR director Gerard Opulencia, and former DPWH Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara from the list of respondents in the plunder and graft charges as recommended by the Justice Department since they were already listed as state witnesses.

The late DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral was also not included in the charge sheet.

“Our case is built on solid, immovable evidence. These state witnesses have provided comprehensive, cross-corroborated, sworn statements that map out the execution of this scheme from its inception down to the logistics of the illicit payouts,” Clavano said.

The plunder case was raffled to the Fifth Division, while the graft cases were raffled to the Second and Fifth Divisions.

Once the anti-graft court finds probable cause, it will issue warrants of arrest against the respondents.

Clavano said that the Office of the Ombudsman has recommended no bail for Estrada and his co-accused.

In addition, the Ombudsman will pursue hold departure orders for Estrada and the four other accused “to preserve the integrity of the case in court.”

The senator currently has a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) issued by a Manila court over the flood control projects.

The criminal charges in relation to the flood control mess filed against Estrada on Thursday are the fourth batch of cases filed since Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla assumed office in October 2025.

Clavano said the Ombudsman is determined to pursue all those liable in the flood control mess.

“We have one shot to get these cases right. The Filipino people need to see justice. This office is here to make sure we deliver just that,” he said.

Estrada, for his part, vowed to "exhaust all legal remedies." —with Sundy Locus/AOL/BM, GMA News