9 articles
The anti-graft court's Second Division ruled that removing Manuel Bonoan as a co-accused now would unfairly alter Sen. Jinggoy Estrada's defense, but left prosecutors free to seek his testimony later as a state witness.
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.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano on June 1 categorically denied that the Office of the Ombudsman offered to drop cases against Senator Jinggoy Estrada in exchange for his political allegiance — calling any such arrangement a form of corruption in itself — after Estrada publicly alleged he had been repeatedly offered exactly that deal before his surrender.
Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said a senator held as a detention prisoner cannot attend sessions, vote, or be counted toward a quorum or majority — and that the Plunder Law independently bars Sen. Jinggoy Estrada from filing bills, a legal reading that carries direct stakes for the Senate's contested leadership math.
The Philippine Senate failed to convene on the evening of June 1 after the Cayetano majority bloc and the chamber's presiding officers did not appear for the scheduled 5 p.m. session — leaving the 11-member minority waiting two hours without a quorum and an agenda full of pending legislation unaddressed.
The Sandiganbayan's Second Division arraigned Senator Jinggoy Estrada on June 4 on a graft charge tied to the flood control corruption scandal, entering a not-guilty plea on his behalf after he declined to speak — while denying his bid to quash the case. His arraignment on the more serious non-bailable plunder count has been reset to June 30.
Senator Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada voluntarily surrendered to the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group on June 1 after the Sandiganbayan issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him for plunder — choosing custody over Senate sanctuary and, in the process, depriving the Cayetano majority of a critical vote.
The Sandiganbayan's Second Division on May 29 issued arrest warrants and hold-departure orders against Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan for their alleged roles in a ₱573-million kickback scheme tied to fraudulent flood control budget insertions — with Estrada immediately posting the ₱90,000 bail on the graft charge while remaining at large on the non-bailable plunder count pending the court's action.
The Department of Justice has forwarded a resolution to the Ombudsman recommending plunder and graft charges against Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, alleging they conspired to manipulate budget allocations and rig public bids in flood control projects worth billions of pesos.
