Ombudsman Files Non-Bailable Plunder Case Against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada at Sandiganbayan Over ₱573M Flood Control Kickbacks; Three More Senators Face Imminent Charges

# Ombudsman Files Non-Bailable Plunder Case Against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada at Sandiganbayan Over ₱573M Flood Control Kickbacks; Three More Senators Face Imminent Charges **The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday, May 28, filed plunder and two counts of graft charges against Senator Jose "Jinggoy" Ejercito Estrada with the Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court, over his alleged role in a scheme to extract at least ₱573 million in kickbacks from flood control projects — making him the first sitting senator to face criminal charges at the Sandiganbayan in connection with the scandal, and the highest-ranking incumbent official yet to be charged.** The cases are non-bailable, meaning Estrada will face arrest and detention unless the Sandiganbayan grants bail at a hearing on the merits. Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan — who resigned in the face of the mounting controversy — was charged alongside Estrada, as were three current and former DPWH National Capital Region officials: district engineers Manny Bulusan and Arturo Gonzalez Jr. and assistant district engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna. ## The Kickback Mechanism Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, in a press briefing following the filing, described the scheme as systematic and institutionalized: public funds were channeled into flood control infrastructure projects in exchange for predetermined commission fees — kickbacks — that were routed to Estrada and co-conspirators through a layered arrangement involving budget insertions, project allocations, and complicit DPWH officials, according to The Manila Times. The ₱573 million alleged illicit total represents the accumulated sum of kickbacks documented in the Ombudsman's case resolution, drawn primarily from projects in Bulacan province. The Ombudsman's resolution found that the projects were budgeted, contracted, and paid for — in some instances in full — despite being partially or entirely unimplemented, GMA News reported. ## Estrada's Response Senator Estrada hit back immediately. In a statement reported by Tribune, he called the Ombudsman's filing "hasty" and "politically motivated," saying he had not yet been given a full opportunity to respond to all the evidence gathered. Estrada, who has faced plunder and other charges in prior administrations (the filing marks the third time in 25 years plunder cases have been lodged against him), said he would contest the charges vigorously before the Sandiganbayan. Estrada's camp did not dispute that flood control funds passed through projects in his district but denied that kickbacks were paid. ## Three More Senators on the Line The filing against Estrada appears to be the leading edge of a broader wave of cases the Ombudsman is preparing. **Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero**, a former Senate president, confirmed on May 28 that he is being investigated by the Ombudsman for plunder over alleged ₱586 million in kickbacks from flood control projects, according to Philippine Star. Escudero denied the allegations, saying the Ombudsman had not yet transmitted a formal complaint-affidavit to him. **Senator Rodante Marcoleta** — previously reported by the Ombudsman's field investigation bureau to be facing plunder, indirect bribery, and related charges over ₱75 million in undisclosed campaign donations tied to DPWH contracts — is also at a late stage of the preliminary investigation. **Senator Joel Villanueva** faces a separate plunder case that Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said is "nearing completion," with prosecutors expected to file within weeks, Tribune reported. Ombudsman Remulla separately confirmed that around **eight senators in total** are under active investigation and that at least three could face charges in the near term. ## Political Backdrop: Imee Marcos' Warning The escalating legal jeopardy of Senate majority members is creating visible fractures in the political coalition. On May 27, Senator Imee Marcos — sister of President Marcos and a member of the Senate majority — publicly claimed that the Ombudsman is "targeting all 13 senators" who form the current majority bloc, Tribune reported. She characterized the move as politically motivated, suggesting it was designed to destabilize the Senate coalition that installed Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president on May 11. The Ombudsman's office did not directly respond to Marcos' characterization. Remulla has previously said the investigations are evidence-driven and follow findings generated by the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Senate's own Blue Ribbon Committee before its leadership changed hands. ## The Flood Control Scandal: A Recap The flood control corruption scandal — which erupted in the latter half of 2025 — centers on allegations that hundreds of billions of pesos in DPWH flood control funds were systematically siphoned through fictitious, substandard, or ghost projects. COA fraud audit reports, submitted to the Ombudsman and the International Criminal Investigation unit, have documented at least 21 cases of fraud. The scandal has directly contributed to a 43.5 percent collapse in government infrastructure spending in the first quarter of 2026, dragged GDP growth to a post-pandemic low of 2.8 percent, and triggered the resignation of multiple senior DPWH officials. The filing of charges against a sitting senator at the Sandiganbayan is a significant procedural escalation. Under Philippine law, plunder carries a penalty of reclusion perpetua (life imprisonment) and is non-bailable where evidence of guilt is strong — a threshold the anti-graft court will assess. --- **Sources:** - [Ombudsman files plunder, graft cases vs Jinggoy Estrada — GMA News Online](https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/989298/jinggoy-estrada-plunder-graft-flood-control-projects/story/) - [Ombudsman files non-bailable plunder raps vs Jinggoy Estrada, others over flood control scam — The Manila Times](https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/05/28/news/national/ombudsman-files-non-bailable-plunder-raps-vs-jinggoy-estrada-others-over-flood-control-scam/2353321) - [Jinggoy Estrada Slams 'Hasty' Ombudsman Plunder, Graft Charges Over Bulacan Flood Control Kickback Case — Tribune](https://tribune.net.ph/2026/05/28/jinggoy-slams-hasty-ombudsman-filing-of-plunder-graft-raps) - [Estrada, Bonoan charged with plunder, graft over flood control scam — Rappler](https://www.rappler.com/philippines/jinggoy-estrada-manuel-bonoan-plunder-graft-cases-flood-control-filed/) - [Plunder, graft raps filed vs Estrada, Bonoan, several others — SunStar Manila](https://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/plunder-graft-raps-filed-vs-estrada-bonoan-several-others) - [Chiz probed by Ombudsman for plunder, denies raps — Philippine Star](https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2026/05/28/2531058/chiz-probed-ombudsman-plunder-denies-raps) - [Ombudsman to File Plunder Charges vs Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva — Tribune](https://tribune.net.ph/2026/05/26/estrada-villanueva-to-face-separate-plunder-charges-from-ombudsman) - [Imee Marcos Claims Ombudsman Targeting All 13 Senate Majority Members Amid Flood Control Plunder Probe — Tribune](https://tribune.net.ph/2026/05/27/imee-ombudsman-targeting-senate-majority) - [Philippine Senator Charged Over Flood Control Scandal — Channels Television](https://www.channelstv.com/2026/05/28/philippine-senator-charged-over-flood-control-scandal/) - [Philippines Flood Control Plunder Scandal: Ombudsman Charges Senators Estrada, Escudero, Marcoleta, Villanueva in ₱573-Million Kickback Case — Gulf News](https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/philippines/philippines-senators-accused-of-kickbacks-plunder-1.500555841)