THE Sandiganbayan has ordered the suspension of detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada amid the ongoing graft charges against him in connection to anomalous flood control projects kickbacks.
The Sandiganbayan Second Division, which is handling the graft complaints against Estrada, issued a 90-day preventive suspension on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.
Estrada was arrested on June 1 and detained at the Quezon City jail in Payatas over the orders of the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, which is handling the plunder charges against him.
According to the Office of the Ombudsman, the charges filed against Estrada and his co-respondents, which include former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and former DPWH Engineers Denryl Cortuna, Arturo Gonzales, Jr., and Manny Bulosan, stemmed from the “intricate mechanism, illegal budgetary insertions and project allocations within the DPWH infrastructure portfolio for fiscal year 2025.”
Estrada allegedly received P573 million worth of kickbacks after funneling funds into designated infrastructure projects through budget insertions.
Estrada is the first high-ranking government official detained over anomalous flood control projects.
This is already his third time to be put behind bars over corruption allegations. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)