Sandiganbayan Orders Arrest, Travel Ban vs. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Ex-DPWH Chief Bonoan Over Graft Charges

 

The Sandiganbayan Second Division on Friday issued warrants of arrest and Hold Departure Orders (HDO) against Senator Jinggoy Estrada, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and three regional engineers. The court actions stem from bailable graft charges linked to a massive ₱573-million flood control infrastructure scandal.

Presiding Justice Geraldine Faith Econg, who chairs the Second Division, confirmed the execution of the travel ban alongside the arrest warrants. The anti-graft court recommended a bail bond of ₱90,000 each for the temporary liberty of the accused.

The Core of the Flood Control Scam

The charges follow an extensive, multi-agency investigation handled by a joint Department of Justice (DOJ) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) task force. According to Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, investigators uncovered an "intricate mechanism" where substantial public funds from the 2025 infrastructure budget were deliberately funneled into ghost or anomalous flood control projects.

State prosecutors allege that these project allocations were manipulated in exchange for predetermined kickbacks and commission fees ranging from 25% to 30%. Case records show that an accumulated sum of over ₱573 million in illicit payouts was systematically delivered to Estrada as the principal respondent.

Alongside Estrada and Bonoan, the Sandiganbayan also ordered the arrest of three DPWH National Capital Region (NCR) personnel: District Engineer Manny Bulusan, District Engineer Arturo Gonzalez Jr., and Assistant District Engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna

Immediate Legal Remedies

Hours after the division released the orders, Senator Estrada personally appeared at the anti-graft court in Quezon City to post his ₱90,000 bail and secure a lift of the arrest warrant. Estrada has consistently denied the allegations, maintaining his innocence and labeling the claims as politically motivated.

While the graft case allows the senator to remain free upon posting bail, a more severe legal battle looms. The Office of the Ombudsman officially filed separate, non-bailable plunder charges against Estrada and Bonoan on Thursday.

The plunder case has been raffled to the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, chaired by Associate Justice Zaldy Trespeses. Because plunder is traditionally a non-bailable offense under Philippine law, legal experts note that the Fifth Division could issue separate, non-bailable arrest warrants once it determines probable cause.

A History of Legal Challenges

This indictment marks the third time Senator Estrada has faced plunder charges in his political career. He was previously indicted over a 2001 illegal gambling payoff case involving his father, former President Joseph Estrada, and later in 2014 regarding the ₱10-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) "pork barrel" scam. While he secured acquittals in the primary plunder counts of those prior scandals, the Supreme Court ruled in late 2025 that separate graft trials stemming from his older PDAF cases could still proceed independently.

With the issuance of the HDOs on Friday, both Estrada and Bonoan are legally barred from leaving the country without explicit written permission from the anti-graft court.