Sen. Jinggoy Estrada surrendered to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) after the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division issued the second warrant of arrest against him for a non-bailable plunder case. 

“I will not seek Senate custody. Hindi ko gagamitin ang Senado bilang panangga laban sa mga alegasyon sa akin,” he said in a press conference. 

“I will be proceeding now to the CIDG to voluntarily surrender myself,” he said before leaving the Senate for Camp Crame in Quezon City. 

Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan surrendered to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Camp Crame, Quezon City following an arrest warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla and members of the CIDG were spotted at the Senate shortly after the warrant was released.  

Aside from Estrada and Bonoan, other former DPWH-NCR also included in the warrant.

In a press conference, Estrada claimed that he rejected offers from unnamed sources to turn his back on the Senate majority bloc supposedly in exchange for the junking of his cases. 

“Hindi ako matitinag sa anumang panggigipit, pananakot, political maneuvering para talikuran ang paninindigan kong ito. I will not yield to threats. I will not be intimidated. I will not be pressured into surrendering my independence of judgment,” he said.

“I stand my ground because what is at stake here goes far beyond my personal circumstances. What is at stake here is the independence of the Senate. This institution must never become vulnerable to external pressure. It must become free from political coercion, free from undue influence, and free from any scheme designed to weaken its constitutional role as a co-equal and independent branch of government,” the senator said.  

“I will not be broken by accusations nor will I yield to political pressure. I will face these charges head-on, defend my honor through due process, and place my faith in the truth,” he added. 

Estrada added that he instructed the Senate Secretary “to put my salary on hold.” 

“Personal kong pasya ito upang ipakita sa sambayanang Pilipino na wala akong intensiyong makinabang sa pondo ng bayan habang nililinis ko ang aking pangalan,” he said. 

Earlier in the day, Estrada said his camp asked the court to consolidate the cases pending before the Second and Fifth Divisions, defer the issuance of warrants of arrest, quash the information, and remand the cases for reinvestigation and/or completion of the preliminary investigation.

“I firmly believe that I am entitled to avail myself of the remedies available under the law, including the filing of a motion for reconsideration, especially considering that I received a copy of the Ombudsman Resolution on the plunder case only on Friday evening,” Estrada said.

“Hindi ito pag-iwas sa pananagutan sa batas, kundi pagtindig sa aking karapatan sa due process at sa pagkakataong maihain at maiparing ang aking panig sa tamang paraan,” he added.

Estrada maintains that the allegations against him are baseless and false. 

“Umaasa ako sa patas na pagtrato, due process, at pagiging walang kinikilingan sa pagdinig ng kasong ito. Nagtitiwala ako na sa huli, mananaig ang hustisya at ang katotohanan,” he said Friday.  

The cases stemmed from alleged budget insertions and kickback schemes involving P573-million flood control projects.

This is the third time that Estrada has faced plunder raps.

Estrada was a co-accused in the jueteng plunder case involving his father, former President Joseph Estrada, but was acquitted in 2007.

He was also acquitted in 2024 by the anti-graft court of plunder charges over the alleged misuse of P183 million in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations. The anti-graft court reversed his direct and indirect bribery conviction in the same year.

He is still facing a separate graft case related to the PDAF.