THE Sandiganbayan Fifth Division issued an arrest warrant on Monday against Senator Jinggoy Estrada in connection with a plunder case, an offense classified as non‑bailable and punishable with life imprisonment.
Also ordered arrested alongside Estrada are former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan and three former NCR engineering officials: Assistant District Engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna, and District Engineers Manny Bulusan and Arturo Gonzales Jr. Under existing laws, bail may only be granted in plunder cases if the court explicitly determines that the evidence of guilt is not strong.
This development comes just days after the anti‑graft court’s Second Division released an arrest warrant against Estrada and Bonoan last Friday, though that one was related only to a separate graft charge — a bailable offense at the time. Both officials remained free after posting ₱90,000 bail each, as allowed for that particular case.
The issuance of the plunder warrant had been delayed following an urgent motion filed by Estrada’s legal counsel, Noel Ostrea, seeking to stop both divisions from issuing arrest orders.
Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Geraldine Faith Econg explained that the Second Division proceeded with its order because the case deliberation was already finished before the motion was submitted. In contrast, the Fifth Division’s clerk of court clarified that Estrada’s plea was filed before the court made any decision regarding probable cause — which is why the warrant was temporarily withheld until Monday, when the court finally ruled to issue it.
Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman formally charged Estrada before the Sandiganbayan, accusing him of receiving as much as ₱573 million in kickbacks stemming from alleged manipulation of funds and allocations for flood control projects in 2025. Estrada has repeatedly and strongly denied all allegations against him. Authorities are now set to serve the new arrest order, which will require his detention unless he successfully petitions the court for bail.
