MANILA, Philippines — Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada declined to personally enter a plea during his arraignment before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Thursday, September 3, prompting the anti-graft court to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf in the graft and plunder cases tied to an alleged ₱573.75-million flood control kickback scheme.
The development marks another major turn in the widening government investigation into alleged irregularities surrounding public works and flood control projects.
According to reports from GMA News, Philstar.com and Inquirer.net, Estrada appeared before the Fifth Division on crutches following a recent left-knee injury. Before the arraignment, his lawyer said the senator was waiving the reading of the charges. Estrada subsequently confirmed that he understood the implications of the waiver but declined to personally enter a plea.
Under the circumstances, the court entered a not guilty plea for the senator, allowing the criminal proceedings to move forward.
What Estrada is accused of
Estrada is facing charges linked to an alleged scheme involving flood control and infrastructure projects included in the 2025 national budget.
Prosecutors allege that the senator received approximately ₱573.75 million in kickbacks through the manipulation of government project processes and the alleged siphoning of funds intended for public works. The projects cited in reports involve areas in the National Capital Region, Bulacan and Occidental Mindoro.
The charges include plunder and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019).
Estrada has denied the accusations.
Bonoan dropped as co-accused
The arraignment came just one day after another significant development in the same case.
The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division granted the prosecution’s request to remove former Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel “Manny” Bonoan as an accused in the plunder and graft cases involving Estrada and several former DPWH officials.
The move followed the Office of the Ombudsman’s efforts to secure Bonoan’s cooperation as a potential state witness in other cases connected to the broader flood control corruption investigation.
The court subsequently ordered Bonoan’s release on September 3, according to Inquirer.net.
With Bonoan removed from the Fifth Division cases, Estrada became the principal remaining accused in the graft case before that division, while other former DPWH officials remain implicated in the broader proceedings.
Estrada’s legal battle continues
This is not Estrada’s first arraignment connected to the flood control controversy.
Earlier in June, the Sandiganbayan Second Division also entered a not-guilty plea for Estrada after he declined to plead in a separate graft case involving alleged kickbacks connected to public works projects. The court rejected his attempt to have that case dismissed.
The senator was later placed under 90-day preventive suspension by the Sandiganbayan while the criminal proceedings were pending. He has also been detained at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas after surrendering to authorities following the issuance of an arrest warrant in the non-bailable plunder case.
Estrada has maintained his innocence and said he intends to clear his name through the legal process.
Why Thursday’s development matters
The latest arraignment does not mean Estrada has been cleared of the accusations.
A not-guilty plea simply allows the criminal case to proceed to the next stages of litigation, where prosecutors will have to establish their allegations in court and the defense will have the opportunity to challenge the evidence.
The removal of Bonoan from the Fifth Division cases, meanwhile, could prove significant for the prosecution if his cooperation results in testimony or evidence concerning other alleged participants in the broader flood control controversy.
The case therefore remains closely watched—not only because Estrada is a sitting senator, but also because it forms part of a much larger government effort to investigate alleged corruption surrounding billions of pesos in public infrastructure and flood control spending.
For now, Estrada remains an accused—not a convicted official—and the allegations against him still have to be resolved through the courts.
WWC ONE MEDIA MJE
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