He is facing charges in connection with the flood control corruption case.
On Monday, June 1, the Sandiganbayan 5th Division issued an arrest warrant against Senator Jinggoy Estrada in relation to the plunder case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman last Thursday, May 28.
The said charge is considered non-bailable, with Estrada expected to remain in custody of authorities while the case is ongoing.
In a speech this afternoon, the senator was visibly emotional when he appeared before members of the media and delivered his last words prior to making a voluntary surrender to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP-CIDG).
“I’ve already receipt of the warrant of arrest issued against me by the fifth division of the Sandiganbayan,” he opened his address.
He continued, “Nais ko lang pong bigyang diin ang mga bagay na ito. I will remain firmly with the majority bloc under the leadership of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.”
Estrada also said that he will stand tall amid what he called “pressure” and “intimidation” for him to leave the bloc.
“Hindi ako matitinag sa panggigipit, pananakot, at political maneuvering para talikuran ang aking paninindigan,” he said. “I will not yield to threats. I will not be intimidated… pressured into surrendering my independence of judgment.”
The senator also told that he has given instructions to the Senate secretary to put his salary on hold to “prove” that he does not intend to use money from public funds while he is working on his legal challenges.
“Higit sa lahat, hindi ako papasailalim sa kustodiya ng Senado. I will not seek Senate custody. Hindi ko gagamitin ang Senado bilang panangga laban sa mga alegasyon sa akin,” he added.
“Nakahanda akong ipagtanggol ang aking sarili sa hukuman at hindi ako magtatago sa likod ng institusyong ito para umiwas sa proseso. Ipagtatanggol ko ang aking sarili laban sa mga paratang sa akin.”
Jinggoy also called the cases filed against him as “nonsense,” citing that the Senate Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO) have already declared before the Office of the Ombudsman that they have no document to prove that he made insertions in the 2025 budget, as alleged in his plunder complaint.
“Ang impormasyong ito ay kinilala pa ng dating Senate Blie Ribbon (Committee) chairman Panfilo Lacson bilang isang makabuluhang ebidensya na sumsalungat sa mga alegasyong binabato laban sa akin,” he said. “So how can the Office of the Ombudsman file a plunder case against me, when I’m not even alleged to be part of, or the mastermind of, the supposed scheme? Wala po akong kinalaman d’yan.”
Estrada also said that he was “offered” to leave the majority bloc in exchange of dropping the charges against him by a person or group he did not disclose. “Hindi ko po ito tinaggap. Mas nananig ang paninindigan ko na ako’y manatili sa hanay ng mga kasamahan ko sa independent majority bloc. I stand my ground.”
He also said that he stands his ground because he claimed the independence of the Senate is at stake.
“This institution must never be vulnerable to external pressure. It must remain free from political coercion, undue influence, and from any scheme designed to weaken its Constitutional role as a co-equal and independent branch of government.”
“If this is the price I have to pay for the decisions I have made and the principles I have chosen to uphold, then I am prepared to face the consequences, however difficult they may be — especially for my family.”
“I will not be broken by accusations, nor will I yield to political pressure. I will meet these charges head on, defend my honor to due process and place my faith in the truth,” and stated his voluntary surrender to authorities to conclude his statement.
He was then escorted by Senate President Cayetano and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
Prior to this, he issued a statement late Monday morning directedtot the Sandiganbayan.
“In anticipation of the possible issuance of an arrest warrant in the plunder case filed against me, I respectfully urge the Court to first give due consideration to the motions I have already filed and to uphold the principles of due process.“
He noted that simultaneous with his posting of bail on the graft charges filed before the 2nd Division last Friday, May 29, his lawyers immediately filed pleadings that seeks to consolidate the cases and the defer the issuance of any arrest warrant.
“Today, my legal team filed a third pleading — an Urgent Omnibus Motion Ad Cautelam – praying that the information be quashed; the case be dismissed with prejudice, or, in the alternative, that the proceedings be suspended and the case remanded for reinvestigation and/or the completion of the preliminary investigation,” he added.
For him, these ade not mere technicalities and called them as legal remedies available to him under the law, including the filing of a motion for reconsideration, as he noted that he only received a copy of the Ombudsman Resolution on the plunder case last Friday evening.
“It is only fair and just that I be afforded the opportunity to fully exercise these legal remedies before any coercive measures are taken against me,” the Senator continued.
In conclusion, “Hindi ito pag-iwas sa pananagutan sa batas, kundi pagtindig sa aking karapatan sa due process at sa pagkakataong maihain at maiparinig ang aking panig sa tamang paraan. Buo ang aking loob na harapin ang kasong ito at patunayan na walang katotohanan ang mga ibinibintang sa akin.“