Ombudsman files plunder, graft, bribery charges vs Jinggoy Estrada, Manuel Bonoan at Sandiganbayan

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is now an accused in a criminal case. On Thursday, May 28, 2026, the Office of the Ombudsman filed plunder under Republic Act 7080, graft under sections 3(b) and 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and bribery against Estrada and former Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan at the Sandiganbayan over the flood control kickback scheme. The filing followed the Ombudsman's May 26 signing of the case information and the Department of Justice's May 18 preliminary investigation resolution. The case rests on the affidavit of former Bulacan 1st District Engineer Brice Hernandez, who described a 30 percent illegal cut on a ₱355 million Bulacan 1st District allocation, alongside testimony from former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and former Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara, both excluded from the charge sheet under state-witness arrangements with the DOJ. The Sandiganbayan will raffle the case to one of its divisions, which determines probable cause and may issue arrest warrants. Plunder under Republic Act 7080 carries up to reclusion perpetua, and bail is denied when the evidence of guilt is strong. At the May 26 briefing that preceded the filing, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said a separate plunder case against Sen. Joel Villanueva was "ripe" and could follow within two weeks, and that his office was preparing a broader case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez for conspiracy to defraud the treasury. Estrada's standing posture, set in a May 19, 2026 statement, is that the recommendation is "baffling and unjust" and that the Senate Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office found no record placing him as author of any budget insertion. Bonoan, who resigned as DPWH Secretary on August 31, 2025, has acknowledged irregularities in flood control projects while denying personal participation in any kickback arrangement.