“Hindi pa ba ito tapos?”
For the third time in 25 years, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is facing plunder charges.
The first case came in 2001 following the downfall of his father, former President Joseph Estrada. The second emerged in 2014 during the multibillion-peso PDAF or pork barrel scandal. Now, in 2026, Estrada is once again confronting plunder and graft allegations, this time linked to alleged kickbacks from flood control projects.
Three different controversies. Three different eras. The same name.
An entire generation of Filipinos has grown up between Estrada's first plunder case and his latest one.
Children who were toddlers when the first charges were filed are now professionals, entrepreneurs, government employees, and parents. Yet the country once again finds itself reading headlines that place the senator at the center of another major corruption controversy.
The pattern is difficult to ignore.
The allegations have changed—from jueteng, to pork barrel, to flood control projects—but the public spectacle remains familiar: investigations, court proceedings, denials, legal battles, and political fallout.
Over those same 25 years, Estrada has been acquitted in major cases, returned to public office, won elections, served multiple Senate terms, and rebuilt his political career more than once.
Now, he faces another test in court.
Whether the latest accusations prosper or fail remains for the judiciary to determine. Estrada, like all accused persons, is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
But beyond the legal questions lies a political one that many Filipinos may be asking:
How many times can a public official find himself facing plunder charges before the pattern itself becomes part of the story?
