The Sandiganbayan's Second Division has preventively suspended Sen. Jinggoy Estrada for 90 days under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, stripping the already-detained senator of office while he stands trial for graft and plunder tied to an alleged P573 million in flood control kickbacks — the second time the anti-graft court has suspended him over a corruption case.
MANILA — The Sandiganbayan has imposed a 90-day preventive suspension on Senator Jose "Jinggoy" Ejercito Estrada, removing him from office while he faces graft and plunder charges in connection with the flood control corruption scandal. According to Philstar, the anti-graft court's Second Division said in a statement on June 16, 2026 that Estrada is "temporarily suspended as a senator" while awaiting trial.
The suspension is rooted in Section 13 of Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which mandates the suspension from office of any public official facing pending criminal prosecution under that law or the bribery provisions of the Revised Penal Code. The provision is non-discretionary once a valid information is found; suspension is preventive, not a finding of guilt.
P573 million in alleged kickbacks
Estrada is accused of receiving roughly P573 million in illicit payouts from flood control projects, the Office of the Ombudsman alleged in a complaint filed on May 28, 2026. Per the Manila Times, the cases stem from "an intricate mechanism involving illegal budgetary insertions and project allocations within the DPWH infrastructure portfolio for Fiscal Year 2025."
The senator posted P90,000 bail on May 29 in the graft case before the Second Division. But on June 1 the anti-graft court ordered his arrest for plunder — a non-bailable offense — and he is now detained at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, according to Philstar. He was arraigned, with co-accused, at the Sandiganbayan on June 4.
Estrada's response
Estrada has cast his cooperation as evidence of good faith. He stated, according to GMA News Online, that he had already taken steps to show he would not use the powers of his office to shield himself — pointing to his voluntary surrender and his instruction to the Senate secretary to suspend his salary. His lawyers have separately asked the Sandiganbayan to quash and review the plunder charge.
The court rejected arguments that suspension was premature. It noted that Estrada was given a non-extendible 10-day period after arraignment to show cause why he should not be suspended, and that the June 4 hearing had already served as a pre-suspension hearing at which he had the full opportunity to contest the validity of the case.
Context
This is not the first time the Sandiganbayan has suspended Estrada. In July 2014 the court suspended him as a senator pending litigation of a P172-million plunder case tied to the pork barrel scam, as Philstar noted. Under RA 3019, a final conviction would forfeit his retirement and gratuity benefits, while an acquittal would entitle him to reinstatement and back pay.
Estrada's case is the fourth set of flood-control charges to reach the Sandiganbayan, following former Ako Bicol representative Zaldy Co in November 2025, contractor Sarah Discaya in December 2025, and former senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. in January 2026. The Office of the Ombudsman, led by Jesus Crispin Remulla, reported on June 16 that 209 flood-control complaints were under fact-finding investigation in 2026, with four cases already filed in court.
The suspension also carries weight for the Senate's own arithmetic. Estrada is aligned with the Cayetano minority bloc, and his detention and removal further thinned that faction's numbers in the leadership contest that culminated, a day later, in Sherwin Gatchalian's election as Senate President. Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio had earlier argued that a detained senator cannot attend sessions, vote, or be counted toward a quorum.
Sources
- Ian Laqui, "Sandigan imposes 90-day suspension on Jinggoy Estrada," Philstar, June 16, 2026 — philstar.com/2535638
- "Sandiganbayan orders Jinggoy Estrada's 90-day preventive suspension pending graft case," Manila Times, June 16, 2026 — manilatimes.net
- "Sandiganbayan suspends Jinggoy Estrada as senator for 90 days due to graft case," GMA News Online, June 16, 2026 — gmanetwork.com/991646
- "Court orders Jinggoy Estrada suspended for 90 days," Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 16, 2026 — newsinfo.inquirer.net/2247666
- "Ombudsman: Flood control investigations stepped up in 2026," Manila Bulletin, June 16, 2026 — mb.com.ph