Senator Jinggoy Estrada is set to be slapped with plunder and other related charges in connection with the flood control scandal, with Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla announcing that he will sign the information against the senator and file it with the Sandiganbayan as early as Thursday morning.
“Pipirmahan ko maya-maya ‘yung information against Senator Jinggoy Estrada. Information to be filed with Sandiganbayan in the soonest possible time. Hopefully, Thursday. We will file it first thing in the morning by Thursday. Plunder and other related offenses,” Remulla said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon, May 26.
Remulla said the filing was slightly delayed because his team found corrections needed in the DOJ resolution, and that they refused to file an imperfect information.
“Kaya medyo natagalan ng konti nung binasa namin ‘yung DOJ resolution, meron kaming nakitang kailangan ng corrections. Kaya ayaw namin mag-file ng information na hindi pulido. Pinulido lang namin kaya inabot pa ng mahigit isang linggo na pinag-aaralan at inaayos ‘yung mga dapat ayusin para mas malinaw ‘yung kasong ilalahad natin sa Sandiganbayan,” he said.
The Ombudsman confirmed that Estrada has co-accused in the case, but said some of them have already been turned into state witnesses—given legal protection in exchange for their testimony to ensure the continuity of the cases.
“Meron. Pero ang iba sa kanila kasi mga state witness na. Mga nakuha na natin na nabigyan ng proteksyon ng batas sapagkat kailangang-kailangan ‘yung kanilang testimonya para magkatuloy-tuloy ang mga kasong ito,” Remulla said.
Remulla said the Ombudsman is seeking continuous trial for the case, aiming to present all evidence and conclude the proceedings in under a year—in stark contrast to the historical pattern of Ombudsman cases dragging on for 15 years or more before the Sandiganbayan.
“Kaya inuuna namin ‘yung ebidensyang ilalahad namin para ‘pag nag-file kami, ready na kami. At malamang hingiin namin dito continuous trial para mailatag namin ang kaso in less than one year, at least for this case,” he said.
The Ombudsman also confirmed that Senator Joel Villanueva faces plunder charges of his own, with the filing expected in approximately two weeks—also in connection with flood control.
“Hindi lang naman si Senator Jinggoy. Meron pa kaming tinatapos rin at talagang sa madaling panahon mafa-file na rin namin ‘yung kay Senator Joel Villanueva. ‘Yan ang isang hinog na rin. Plunder din,” Remulla said.
Remulla said the decision to pursue plunder charges—after initially considering the cases to be prosecutable only under lighter offenses—reflects a change in the Ombudsman’s legal thinking, driven by a belief that the Supreme Court’s previous plunder rulings created requirements that were never in the law.
“Ang unang tingin natin kasi parang naging imposible to prosecute plunder kasi nga lahat ng ruling ng Supreme Court, ina-acquit lahat ng tao sa iba’t ibang dahilan. Pero thinking about it again and looking at the body of law that we have, we really can make a case for plunder,” Remulla said.
The Ombudsman called on the Supreme Court and the Sandiganbayan to revisit the plunder doctrine, saying the law was never written to be a dead letter and that previous judicial interpretations undermined its intent.
“If you look at it as an academician, if you look at the plunder law and then what was written in the Supreme Court decision before, there were some exaggerated requirements that were not there in the law that has to be revisited, or otherwise it’s going to become a dead law. And we don’t think that that was the intent of our legislature,” Remulla said.
Remulla confirmed that approximately 9 to 10 senators are currently under investigation by the Ombudsman, with at least three to four more facing charges beyond Estrada, Villanueva, and Senator Rodante Marcoleta—who faces a separate plunder recommendation over P75 million in campaign donations.
“Probably around 9 to 10,” Remulla said when asked about the total number of senators under investigation, adding “at least three more senators” face violations of law beyond those already publicly announced.
The Ombudsman said he is not singling out senators from any particular political bloc, stressing that his mandate covers everyone regardless of political affiliation.
“Ang trabaho ng Ombudsman, lahat. Wala kaming atrasan. Kahit sino pa,” Remulla said, adding that the flood control scandal and the events in the Senate and Congress have simply attracted the most public attention—not because they are the only cases being pursued.
Remulla left open the possibility of restitution for those facing charges, saying the Ombudsman’s ultimate goal is the recovery of stolen funds rather than imprisonment for its own sake.
“Restitution is always open. We can always talk about it, and we can always agree if people are reasonable. Possible ‘yan. Basta ‘yung pinag-uusapan na halaga, walang tawaran. Isoli ‘yung dapat isoli,” he said.
