Metro Manila, Philippines – Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was back in detention on Monday, June 1 for a non-bailable plunder charge over allegations of pocketing more than half a billion of public funds from infrastructure projects – just two years after his acquittal from the same offense.
The senator was detained in the New Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory, the detention facility for the accused in the flood control scam, including former colleague and then-senator Bong Revilla.
Estrada is the highest-ranking incumbent official jailed since the Marcos administration began investigating corruption in flood control projects in 2025.
It is Estrada’s third plunder case in over two decades after securing an acquittal in high-profile cases: the jueteng scandal in 2001 and the pork barrel scam in 2014. He is out on bail over a pending graft case related to the pork barrel scam.
READ: Jinggoy Estrada’s history of plunder cases
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Estrada was detained with the general population.
“The DILG emphasizes that all persons committed to BJMP custody are processed and treated under the same rules and detention protocols regardless of position or status,” the agency said in a statement.
Arrested not surrender
In a press briefing, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Estrada was arrested inside the Senate for plunder, contradicting the lawmaker’s claims that he surrendered to the police in a statement he made with the media.
Remulla noted that authorities have arrested Estrada even before the press conference where the senator said he will surrender to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
The DILG chief said Estrada was informed of his rights inside the Senate premises, despite apprehension from Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.
“He was insisting that nobody could be arrested inside the Senate. He was requesting that he would be brought out at the Senate first. I said sorry Sir, you lost that privilege when Senator Bato escaped…Tama na [stop] there’s no more hiding behind the curtains of the Senate,” Remulla stated, referring to Cayetano.
Estrada went to the Camp Crame in Quezon City after addressing the Senate media to undergo booking procedures. Cayetano accompanied him over what Remulla said as a show of solidarity.
Estrada was later brought to the Sandiganbayan for the return of the warrant, then eventually committed to the New Quezon City Jail.
The Sandiganbayan fifth division has ordered the arrest of the lawmaker for plunder and graft, despite multiple motions challenging the case.
The same division has also issued arrest warrants for Estrada’s co-respondents, including former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan. Others were:
- Manny Bulusan – district engineer
- Arturo Gonzales – district engineer
- Denryl Cortuna – assistant district engineer
The DILG said Bulusan, Gonzales, and Cortuna were all detained with Estrada in the same detention facility.
Bonoan, however, was brought to the hospital due to hypertension and is scheduled to return to the Sandiganbayan once his condition stabilizes, according to Remulla.
The ombudsman filed the charges with the anti-graft court on May 28 for what it called an “intricate mechanism involving illegal budgetary insertions and project allocations within the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) infrastructure portfolio” in 2025.
The agency said Estrada alone pocketed over ₱573 million in supposed kickbacks from infrastructure projects.
Estrada ready to defend himself
In his media briefing, Estrada said he is ready to defend himself before the court, maintaining that he will not seek Senate protective custody.
“Hindi ko gagamitin ang Senado bilang panangga sa mga alegasyon laban sa akin. Nakahanda akong ipagtanggol ang aking sarili sa hukuman at hindi ako magtatago sa likod ng institusyong ito para umiwas sa proseso,” he said.
[Translation: I will not use the Senate as a shield against the allegations against me. I am prepared to defend myself in court, and I will not hide behind this institution to avoid the legal process.]
He also claimed there was an offer for his case to be dismissed in exchange of leaving the majority bloc, but stopped short of naming names.
Estrada said he will waive his salary while facing trial.
