It is in connection with his alleged link to the flood control corruption case.
On Thursday, May 28, the Office of the Ombudsman, through Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, filed cases against another set of personalities implicated in the flood control corruption case before the Sandiganbayan.
Facing plunder and graft charges is Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who was tagged by former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineer Brice Hernandez as one of the senators allegedly involved in the Bulacan projects, where Estrada was said to have received kickbacks.
Back then, Estrada vehemently denied the accusation and filed perjury charges against Hernandez in December 2025.
Alongside him, former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, who led the agency from 2022 to 2025, as well as thre engineers from the DPWH National Capital Region are also facing charges.
According to Clavano, the cases filed by the Ombudsman involve “illicit” payouts of PHP573 million and were filed following extensive investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Meanwhile, in response, Estrada said he will “exhaust all legal remedies” and will discuss with his lawyers his next move.
He also took note of a Senate Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO) letter stating that there was no record that he made any insertion in the 2025 national budget.
“If this is the price that I have to pay for standing on my principles and what I believe in, so be it,” he also said.
This is Estrada’s third time to face corruption allegations after facing jail time for plunder with his father, ex-President Joseph Estrada, in 2001 and his involvement in the Pork Barrel Scam of 2014.
At present, the case for the latter remains pending before the anti-graft court.