Senator Jinggoy Estrada appeared unfazed by the impending plunder and malversation case against him at the Sandiganbayan, citing Senate records that allegedly showed that he had no hand in the supposed kickbacks from flood control projects.
“Well, if this is the price that I have to pay for standing on my own principles, on what I believe in, so be it,” Estrada told reporters in an ambush interview on Tuesday.
The lawmaker was mum on other questions related to the case that is set to be filed by the Ombudsman before the Sandiganbayan this week, including whether he considered it political persecution.
He, however, asserted that there’s nothing in legislative records that could attest to the allegations of former DPWH-Bulacan engineer Brice Hernandez that he pocketed hefty kickbacks from several flood control projects in Bulacan.
"As far as I know, the LBRMO (Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO)) said, I did not have any insertion [in the 2025 budget] as they alleged,” he stressed in Filipino.
Estrada was referring to the testimonies of Hernandez in September last year, during a parallel probe by the House of Representatives into the corruption scheme in the flood control projects.
Hernandez accused Estrada of receiving at least P350 million from several flood control projects that he allegedly introduced as line items in the 2025 budget for the province of Bulacan.
The amount is equivalent to a 30 percent “SOP” that was purportedly agreed upon by the lawmaker and higher-ups in the DPWH.
SOP, or the standard operating procedure, refers to the cut or commission given to the “proponent” of a project.
Aside from Estrada, Hernandez also linked Senator Joel Villanueva to the scheme, accusing him of receiving flood control kickbacks to the tune of P600 million.
Hernandez’s allegations—made under oath—formed the basis of several cases against lawmakers, including that of Estrada, which are now pending in the Ombudsman.
Similar to Estrada, Ombudsman Boying Remulla announced that they are currently finalizing plunder and graft charges against Villanueva, which are expected to be filed within two weeks.
Estarada said consultations with his lawyers regarding their legal strategy are ongoing, though in the meantime, he added that he will prioritize attending to his congressional duties.
Estarada was elected as one of the vice chairs of the powerful Blue Ribbon Committee earlier this week, following a Senate leadership revamp.
However, his appointment to such a key position has drawn mounting concern and criticism since the panel has a pending probe into flood control, in which he was suspected of involvement.
Estrada was implicated in a similar legal trouble in 2014, when the Ombudsman indicted him for plunder and multiple counts of graft related to the infamous pork barrel scam. He was acquitted of plunder by the Sandiganbayan in 2024, but the anti-graft court found him guilty of lesser offenses: one count of direct bribery and two counts of indirect bribery.
