Plunder, graft cases filed vs Estrada, Bonoan

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is facing a new charge of plunder, his third, and another case for graft over his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.

The Office of the Ombudsman charged Estrada, along with former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan, before the Sandiganbayan over the alleged P573 million worth of kickbacks from various flood control projects.

Others named in the charges were former DPWH-National Capital Region assistant district engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna as well as district engineers Manny Bulusan and Arturo Gonzales Jr.

Estrada in a statement denied the allegations, citing a Senate Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office letter, which states that he did not insert any project for funding in the 2025 General Appropriations Act that became the source of flood control kickbacks.

“We will exhaust all legal remedies. My lawyers are preparing the necessary steps to show the irregularities in the process and the pieces of
evidence that were not weighed and considered,” Estrada said in mixed English.

He claimed that the cases were filed against him after he aligned himself with the new majority, led by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.

“Kapanasin-pansin din na, mula nang magpalit ng liderato sa Senado, naging mabilis ang pag-usad ng mga kasong kinasasangkutan ng ilang miyembro ng majority bloc (It is worthy to note that, since the change in Senate leadership, the resolution of the cases against some members of the majority bloc were sped up),” Estrada said.

“As I have said before, if this is the price that I have to pay for standing by my principles and for what I believe in, then so be it. I will continue to seek the truth and defend my name in the right forum and according to law,” he added.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said he has coordinated with Estrada about the impending arrest and laid out options for a surrender.

“I talked to him already. I gave him options and he said he will think about it,” Remulla said in a message on Viber.

Remulla did not give details on his conversation with Estrada and whether they apply the same template for former senator Ramon Revilla Jr.

The Sandiganbayan raffled to the Second and Fifth Divisions the graft cases and the plunder case to the Fifth Division.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said anti-graft prosecutors have recommended no bail in the cases, adding that they would seek a hold departure order against the respondents to “preserve the integrity of the case in court.”

Hold-order issued

A precautionary hold departure order was issued against Estrada and Bonoan, which barred them from leaving the country as early as February.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) had earlier recommended the filing of cases against Estrada and Bonoan for plunder, graft, direct bribery and receiving gifts by public officers, under Article 210 of the Revised Penal Code, and corruption of public officials under Article 212.

The recommendation came after a preliminary investigation on the criminal complaint lodged by the Public Works and Bid-Rigging Task Force of the National Bureau of Investigation and DOJ.

Clavano said the ombudsman only chose to pursue plunder and graft against the two “after a rigorous and independent evaluation” of the DOJ investigation.

He noted that the cases involve “an intricate mechanism involving illegal budgetary insertions and project allocations” in the DPWH budget in 2025.

“Our evaluation shows that substantial public funds were deliberately funneled into designated infrastructure projects in exchange for predetermined commission fees or kickbacks,” Clavano said in a press briefing.

He alleged that kickbacks amounting to P573 million were delivered to Estrada.

Clavano said other individuals originally named in the complaint were former DPWH undersecretaries Cathy Cabral and Roberto Bernardo, former DPWH-NCR director Gerard Opulencia and former Bulacan First District engineer Henry Alcantara.

They have since been dropped from the case, with Cabral being deceased, and the other three being declared as state witnesses.

“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.

“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 added.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippine (CBCP) urged yesterday the institutions mandated to uphold justice and accountability to relentlessly pursue all cases.

Kidapawan Bishop Colin Bagaforo, CBCP Inter-Religious Leaders’ Council for National Transformation lead convenor, said the rule of law loses its meaning when exemptions are made for the powerful, the influential or the politically connected.

“Accountability must apply to all regardless of political affiliation, social status, popularity or position in government. Public office is a public trust. Those entrusted with greater power, authority and influence carry an even higher moral and legal responsibility before the people,” Bagaforo said. – Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Bella Cariaso, Emmanuel Tupas