Jinggoy Estrada detained in Payatas QC jail for plunder

Senator Jinggoy Estrada is now detained at the Quezon City jail after he was ordered arrested on Monday by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division for the charge of plunder, a non-bailable offense.

According to a report on "Saksi" by Joseph Morong, Estrada voluntarily went with authorities from the Senate, even as he maintained he had no hand in the anomalies linked to the alleged misuse of flood control funds.

After being informed of his Miranda rights, the convoy carrying the senator left the Senate at around 3 p.m. and headed for the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City.

The group arrived at the PNP at 4:18 p.m. for the booking process.

"He started with the fingerprint, then he went through the mugshot, then the medical clearance," Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said.

The convoy then motored to the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division. The Fifth Division issued the warrant for his arrest over the alleged P573-million kickback from flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

GMA News' Katrina Son said the police convoy believed carrying Estrada arrived at the QC jail in Payatas at 8:07 p.m. At around 8:30 p.m., several vehicles started leaving the detention area.

Not yielding

Estrada faced the media after the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division issued a second arrest warrant against him, this time for plunder. He was with 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.

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 mess

Estrada is facing 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.—LDF, GMA News