Sandiganbayan suspends Senator Jinggoy Estrada over P573M flood control graft case

Senator Jinggoy Estrada has been suspended from office for at least three months.

The Sandiganbayan 2nd Division issued the order on Tuesday, June 16, over his graft case linked to flood control corruption. The suspension takes effect once the resolution becomes final.

"Accordingly, in view of the foregoing, this court hereby orders the suspension pendente lite of accused Senator Jose 'Jinggoy' P. Ejercito Estrada from his present position as senator of the Republic of the Philippines, and from any other public office which he may now or hereafter be holding for a period of ninety (90) days from receipt of this resolution," the division wrote.

Estrada is the highest-ranking official arrested in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal. He's been detained at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas since June 1, after the Sandiganbayan ordered his arrest on May 29 and June 1.

The Office of the Ombudsman charged him on May 28 with one count of graft before the 2nd Division, and one count of plunder and another count of graft before the 5th Division. All charges stem from his alleged involvement in a kickback scheme in flood control projects.

The Ombudsman said there was an "intricate mechanism" involving illegal budget insertions and project allocations at the Department of Public Works and Highways in 2025. Funds were "deliberately" funneled into specific infrastructure projects "in exchange for predetermined commission fees or kickbacks."

"Case records point to an accumulated sum of illicit payouts amounting to an aggregate sum of over P573 million, which were systematically delivered to the principal respondent, Senator Jinggoy Estrada," the Ombudsman said.

Under Section 13 of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, an incumbent public officer facing a graft case must be suspended. The Sandiganbayan had flagged the possible suspension during Estrada's arraignment on June 4 and gave him 10 days to comment.

Estrada responded with a statement. "Even prior to the issuance of the Sandiganbayan's order today, I have already taken clear and deliberate steps to demonstrate that I will not, and will never, use the powers and privileges of my office to shield myself from the allegations being hurled against me," he said. "At this stage, I remain open to availing myself of all legal remedies under the law."

This isn't Estrada's first brush with corruption allegations. He was previously acquitted of plunder in 2019 over the pork barrel scam, but the Ombudsman has now built a fresh case around the flood control projects. The 2025 budget insertions allegedly allowed him and others to pocket kickbacks worth hundreds of millions.

The suspension will last 90 days from when the resolution becomes final. Estrada can still appeal, but for now, he remains in jail and out of the Senate. The case is a major blow to the Estrada political clan, which has held power for decades — his father, Joseph Estrada, was president and later mayor of Manila.