2 weeks ago
5
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Daphne Galvez - The Philippine Star
May 27, 2026 | 12:00am
Senator Jinggoy Estrada and Senator Joel Villanueva
STAR / Ryan Baldemor
‘Grandest’ conspiracy case set vs Romualdez
MANILA, Philippines — The plunder and malversation cases against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada over his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal are “already ripe” and will be filed before the Sandiganbayan this Thursday, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said.
The cases against Estrada stemmed from the recommendation of the Department of Justice, which conducted a preliminary investigation triggered by the criminal complaint lodged by the National Bureau of
Investigation-DOJ Public Works and Bid-Rigging Task Force.
“We want the case to be airtight so that when we file it, we would no longer have to grasp for evidences,” Remulla said at a press briefing yesterday.
He said they may ask the anti-graft court for a continuous trial so that the prosecution can rest their case “in less than a year.”
In its resolution, the DOJ recommended the filing of plunder charges under Republic Act 7080, as well as graft charges under Sections 3(b) and 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
It also recommended charges for direct bribery and receiving gifts by public officers under Article 210 of the Revised Penal Code, and corruption of public officials under Article 212 against complicit private individuals and entities.
Prosecutors alleged that Estrada and several former public works officials as well as private contractors manipulated budget allocations and public bidding to divert public funds.
Upon receiving the recommendation, the Office of the Ombudsman conducted an independent review of the resolution.
Sought for comment, Estrada downplayed the impending charges against him, saying he would continue working at the Senate.
“If this is the price that I have to pay for standing on my principles, what I believe in…so be it,” he said.
Estrada refused to comment further, but stressed the Senate’s Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO) testimony before the Office of the Ombudsman that no official records show Estrada introducing amendments to the 2025 Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget.
“What (former DPWH district engineer) Brice Hernandez said at the House (of Representatives) that I had insertions, it so happened that here in the LBRMO, they have no such record,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Remulla said another case that is almost ready for filing is the plunder case against Sen. Joel Villanueva, also related to the flood control controversy, saying this may be filed in two weeks.
“That is also ripe for filing but we need to refine the presentation of information and accompanying evidences,” he said. — Neil Jayson Servallos
