Senator Jinggoy Estrada faces new plunder charge over flood control projects

The Office of the Ombudsman charged Senator Jinggoy Estrada with plunder and graft on May 28, 2026, for allegedly receiving P573 million in kickbacks tied to flood control budget insertions. The charges also name former officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

No arrest warrant has been issued by the Sandiganbayan for the plunder count. Estrada previously faced two plunder cases. In 2001 he was charged alongside his father, former President Joseph Estrada, over alleged jueteng collections and other funds totaling P4 billion.

The Sandiganbayan acquitted him in 2007 after finding the testimony of star witness Chavit Singson insufficient.

Pork barrel case In 2014 Estrada was charged with plunder and 11 counts of graft in the Priority Development Assistance Fund scandal. He was detained for three years before the Sandiganbayan granted bail. In January 2024 the court acquitted him of plunder but convicted him of bribery; that conviction was later reversed on appeal in August 2024.

Current case The latest charges stem from a September 2025 Senate hearing where former DPWH district engineer Henry Alcantara testified that Estrada received P355 million, representing 25 percent of kickbacks from seven flood control projects in Bulacan.

Former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo stated in an affidavit that Estrada received kickbacks totaling around P2.3 billion from public works projects. The Department of Justice completed its investigation and forwarded findings to the Ombudsman, which filed the May 28 charges.

Estrada’s graft cases from the pork barrel scandal remain pending.