Senator Jinggoy Estrada was arrested Monday after voluntarily surrendering to authorities following the issuance of a warrant of arrest in connection with his non-bailable plunder case stemming from the flood control controversy.
Speaking before leaving the Senate, Estrada said he would not seek Senate protective custody.
“Hindi ko gagamitin ang Senado bilang panangga laban sa mga alegasyon sa akin,” he said before proceeding to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group headquarters in Camp Crame.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division was served at the Senate.
“Sumama po si Jinggoy, binasahan siya ng Miranda rights niya, kasama ang kanyang abogado… Mapayapa siyang sumama dito sa CIDG, prinocess, inaresto,” Remulla said.
The Sandiganbayan issued the arrest warrant days after Estrada posted bail in a separate graft case. Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan and several former DPWH-NCR officials are also facing arrest over their alleged involvement in the same controversy.
Court officials said Estrada and Bonoan are set to be committed to the Quezon City Jail in Payatas and are scheduled for arraignment in their separate graft case on June 2.
During the same press conference, Estrada claimed he had rejected offers from unnamed individuals to abandon the Senate majority bloc in exchange for the dismissal of the cases against him.
“Hindi ako matitinag sa anumang panggigipit, pananakot, political maneuvering para talikuran ang paninindigan kong ito,” he said. “I will not yield to threats. I will not be intimidated. I will not be pressured into surrendering my independence of judgment.”
Estrada also argued that the issue goes beyond his personal circumstances and involves the independence of the Senate as an institution.
Malacañang rejected the senator’s allegations. Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the cases had been under investigation long before the recent Senate leadership changes and stressed that both the Office of the Ombudsman and the judiciary are independent of the executive branch.
The plunder case stems from alleged budget insertions and kickback schemes involving ₱573 million worth of flood control projects. Estrada has maintained that the allegations against him are false and said he would continue to defend himself through legal means.
