Jinggoy Estrada surrenders to PNP-CIDG

Senator Jinggoy Estrada surrendered Monday afternoon to the members of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in light of an arrest warrant issued against him by the Sandiganbayan.

In a press conference, Estrada said he did not request the Senate for protective custody as he vowed to face the charges filed against him.

Interior Secretary Jomvic Remulla escorted him out of the Senate premises.

Estrada faced the media after the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division issued a second arrest warrant against him, this time for plunder. He was with Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla and members of the majority bloc.

"If this is the price I must pay for the decisions I have made and the principles I have chosen to uphold, then I am prepared to face the consequences—however difficult they may be, especially for my family," the senator said.

"I will not be broken by accusations, nor will I yield to political pressure. I will meet these charges head-on, defend my honor through due process, and place my faith in the truth. I will be proceeding now to the CIDG to voluntarily surrender myself," he added.

READ: The corruption of Philippine flood control projects

Warrant of arrest

Earlier in the day, the Sandiganbayan issued a warrant of arrest against Estrada, who is facing ₱573‑million plunder and graft charges filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in relation to the flood control scandal. This is despite motions filed by the senator's legal counsel seeking to withhold its issuance.

The senator, during the media briefing, denied the accusations anew and said he would remain with the majority bloc.

"Kalokohan ang lahat ng ito. Mismong ang Senate Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO) ang nagsabi sa Ombudsman na wala silang anumang dokumento o rekord na nagpapakita na ako ay nagpasok ng anumang insertion sa 2025 national budget," Estrada said.

"How can the Office of the Ombudsman file a plunder case against me when I am not even alleged to be part of, or the mastermind of, the supposed scheme? Wala akong kinalaman dyan," he added.

The lawmaker also said he would remain with the majority bloc as he disclosed alleged offers to abandon the majority senators in "exchange for junking my cases". He also announced he would withhold his salary and would not seek Senate custody.

"I stand my ground because what is at stake here goes far beyond my personal circumstances. What is at stake is the independence of the Senate itself," he said.

"This institution must never become vulnerable to external pressure. It must remain free from political coercion, free from undue influence, and free from any scheme designed to weaken its constitutional role as a co-equal and independent branch of government," the senator added.

Flood control projects

Estrada is facing a plunder and two counts of graft cases in 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.

“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 added.

Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano exited the chamber with Estrada, Cayetano's staff confirmed.

Estrada is the second senator to face arrest in recent months. In May, Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa briefly resurfaced at the Senate after six months of hiding from the public eye to vote for a leadership change.

Dela Rosa sought protective custody at the Senate after members of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) attempted to serve an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.

During the early hours of May 14, dela Rosa left the Senate premises with Senator Robinhood Padilla following a shooting incident at the chamber. —AOL/NB, GMA News