Philippines: Senators Estrada, Escudero, Villanueva, Marcoleta accused of kickbacks, plunder

Manila: The Office of the Ombudsman has accused Sen. Jinggoy Estrada of receiving at least ₱573 million in alleged kickbacks tied to infrastructure projects, marking the third plunder case filed against the lawmaker amid a widening corruption crackdown involving several prominent politicians.

On Thursday (May 28), Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said investigators had uncovered what he described as a systematic scheme involving illegal budget insertions and project allocations within the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“Our case is built on solid, immovable evidence,” Clavano told reporters during a press briefing. “We will have one shot to get these cases right,” he added. “The Filipino people need to see justice.”

The Ombudsman filed plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan against Estrada, alongside former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, former NCR Assistant District Engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna, and former district engineers Manny Bulusan and Arturo Gonzales Jr.

According to Clavano, the anti-graft body found probable cause to charge the respondents with violations of the Plunder Law (Republic Act No. 7080) and Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019).

“The cases stem from an intricate mechanism involving illegal budgetary insertions and project allocations,” Clavano said.

“Our evaluation shows that substantial public funds were deliberately funneled into designated infrastructure projects in exchange for predetermined commission fees or kickbacks,” he added.

“Case records point to an accumulated sum of illicit payouts amounting to an aggregate sum of over ₱573 million which were systematically delivered to the principal respondent, Senator Jinggoy Estrada.”

The Ombudsman has recommended no bail for the plunder charge.

The filing against Estrada came as corruption allegations continued to engulf other political figures linked to alleged flood control anomalies.

Former Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero is also facing separate plunder, graft, and bribery complaints before the Ombudsman over alleged irregularities in multibillion-peso flood control projects.

The Sandiganbayan earlier issued a Precautionary Hold Departure Order (PHDO) against Escudero while preliminary investigations are ongoing.

He has denied wrongdoing and submitted a counter-affidavit challenging the accusations.

The complaints stem partly from testimony given during Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings, where former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo alleged that Escudero received around ₱160 million in kickbacks tied to infrastructure contracts.

Escudero is also facing separate scrutiny over alleged anomalies during his tenure as governor of Sorsogon, as well as a Commission on Elections probe involving a reported ₱30 million campaign donation from government contractor Lawrence Lubiano during the 2022 elections.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla likewise disclosed that another plunder case tied to the flood control controversy — this time involving Sen. Joel Villanueva — is nearing completion.

“That is also ripe for filing but we need to refine the presentation of information and accompanying evidences,” Remulla said, adding that prosecutors may file the case within "weeks".

Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, meanwhile, is also facing plunder, indirect bribery, and related complaints before the Ombudsman over alleged campaign donations and links to broader infrastructure corruption investigations.

Local media reported that the Ombudsman received complaints accusing Marcoleta of plunder and indirect bribery tied to alleged campaign donations worth ₱75 million. 

The Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Bureau recommended filing plunder and bribery charges after investigators alleged Marcoleta received ₱75 million in donations that were allegedly not properly disclosed. 

The Ombudsman had asked the anti-graft court (Sandiganbayan) to issue a Precautionary Hold Departure Order (PHDO) against Marcoleta and several others while the investigation proceeds. 

The Manila Bulletin quoted Marcoleta describing the complaint as politically motivated and intended to silence independent senators involved in flood control investigations. 

Estrada has repeatedly denied involvement in any infrastructure irregularities, citing a certification from the Senate’s Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO) stating that he had no documented budget insertions.

But Clavano said the certification does not necessarily clear the senator.

“However, this certificate does not capture all stages of the budgetary process, wherein insertions may be made in a layered method,” he said.

The latest case adds to Estrada’s long legal history involving corruption allegations.

In 2001, Estrada was among the co-accused in the plunder case against his father, former President Joseph Estrada, over alleged jueteng payoffs amounting to ₱545 million.

Former President Estrada was convicted by the Sandiganbayan in 2007 before later receiving executive clemency from then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Jinggoy Estrada was acquitted for insufficiency of evidence.

More than a decade later, Estrada again faced plunder charges alongside businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles over the alleged misuse of ₱200 million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), commonly known as the pork barrel scam.

Napoles was convicted of plunder, while Estrada was acquitted of the plunder charge. However, the Sandiganbayan allowed 11 graft charges tied to the same PDAF controversy to proceed.

Estrada was also previously convicted of direct and indirect bribery over alleged ₱6.7 million payoffs connected to PDAF misuse, although the anti-graft court later reversed the ruling.

The new cases signal what could become one of the most sweeping anti-corruption offensives involving senior Philippine lawmakers since the height of the pork barrel scandal more than a decade ago.

Estrada, Escudero, Marcoleta and Villanueva belong to the new Senate majority bloc perceived to be pro-Duterte.