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Explainer: What the Philippine Senate boycott after Estrada plunder arrest means to Filipinos
Senator Estrada is no stranger to arrests. He was arrested in 2001 with his father, ousted Philippine Pres. Joseph Estrada, for profiting from illegal gambling. In 2014, he was arrested for plunder
- PUBLISHED: Tue 2 Jun 2026, 12:41 PM UPDATED: Tue 2 Jun 2026, 7:19 PM
The Philippine Senate failed to hold its regular session for the second consecutive time on Monday as its leadership refused to hold a plenary assembly following the arrest of one of its allies Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada for plunder.
The Senate minority waited until 7pm for the majority, led by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano himself, to appear. They did not. The Senate’s plenary sessions usually starts at 3pm.
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It was a frantic day within the halls of what was once described a “bastion of democracy”. The Senate leadership is framing the chaos as a struggle for independence from meddling by the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government. The minority bloc, on the other hand, described yesterday’s events as a “boycott of duty.”
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What was supposed to happen on Monday?
What was expected to happen on Monday, June 1, was Vice President Sara Duterte’s reply to the articles of impeachment against her. The Senate will act as an impeachment court starting July 2.
Duterte did indeed send her lawyers to submit voluminous documents as her reply to allegations of corruption, unexplained wealth, bribery and grave threats. But while the submission was reported by the local media, one of the Philippines’ most awaited developments played second fiddle to yet another drama orchestrated with Cayetano as main protagonist.
What grabbed everyone’s attention was the issuance of another warrant of arrest against Estrada, this time for the non-bailable offense of plunder.
What happened to the arrest?
No less than the country’s interior and local government secretary, Jonvic Remulla, led the service of the arrest order against Senator Estrada. It escalated into raised voices between Cayetano and Remulla.
Cayetano, citing the so-called tradition of the Senate not allowing its members to be arrested within its premises, refused to surrender Estrada. But it was a selective citation of the tradition because it was originally applied only when the chamber is in an actual session.
Remulla for his part insisted that Cayetano lost the privilege of such a courtesy when he orchestrated the escape of the Senator Ronald dela Rosa from an arrest order by the International Criminal Court on May 14. Remulla ordered a police officer to read Estrada his Miranda Rights, after which Estrada, accompanied by Cayetano was marched to the national police headquarters for booking procedures. He was later taken to the Quezon City District Jail where spent the night.
Why was Senator Estrada arrested?
The senator is actually no stranger to arrests. He was ordered nabbed last week by the Philippine anti-corruption court on the lesser charge of graft in connection with allegations of irregular budget insertions leading to anomalous public infrastructure projects. He posted bail.
His non-bailable plunder case are based on investigations revealing he profited from kickbacks in infrastructure projects worth P537 million (Dh34.3 million). As in his previous arrests, Estrada denied wrongdoing.
In 2001, he was arrested with his father, ousted Philippine President Joseph Estrada, for illegally profiting from illegal gambling. In 2014, he was again arrested for plunder, this time for allegedly giving his pork barrel to non-existing non-government organizations and projects. He was absolved on both occasions for “lack of evidence.”
Yesterday’s arrest was Estrada’s third in as many decades. Political observers asked why he kept being elected as senator despite his checkered history. Activist group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance) said Estrada is emblematic of the “rottenness of the Philippine political system.”
What did Cayetano do?
Senate President Cayetano could have still convened the chamber even after Estrada was marched off to jail. With 11 fellow senators under his majority bloc and 11 senators in the minority bloc, there were enough to constitute a quorum.
The 11 minority bloc senators waited until 7pm for the regular session to start. They waited in vain. Instead, the air-conditioning and internet at the plenary hall were shut to dissuade them from waiting further.
To recall, the same disrespectful tactic was from Cayetano’s old playbook when he was Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2019. Refusing to honor a term-sharing agreement brokered by former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Cayetano padlocked the House plenary hall, turned off the air-conditioning, lights and the internet to prevent his ouster. But not having the numbers behind him, he “resigned” to claim some dignity in an ignominious defeat.
What now for the Philippine Senate?
With Estrada in jail and dela Rosa in hiding, there remain 11 senators in the majority bloc, including Cayetano himself. They have the exact same number of senators in the minority bloc.
This means that, for now, Cayetano keeps his Senate Presidency.
But Estrada himself divulged on Monday that Malacañang Palace – where Marcos Jr. resides and holds office – offered him a deal to leave the majority bloc in exchange for having the plunder case against him dropped. If true, it means that Marcos’ camp is actively trying to dismantle the pro-Duterte Senate majority to replace it with pro-impeachment trial senators.
The real price, therefore, is the conviction of Vice President Duterte by the Senate Impeachment Court or, at the very least, the exposition of damning pieces of evidence proving her corruption and illegal wealth. This is to weaken her chances in the 2028 presidential elections.
But Filipino activists, despite bewailing the circus at the Senate, are saying all corrupt officials should be made accountable anyway. They said Duterte must be tried by an impartial Senate.
What the political circus means to Filipinos
Based on its annual expenditures (including salaries of senators and staff, operational expenses and more) divided by the number of session days, the Philippine Senate spends about P107.5 million (Dh6.4 million) of the Filipino’s public funds per session.
This was how much was wasted yesterday when the Senate failed to open for business on June 1.
Moreover, pending before the Senate on Monday were three beneficial bills up for deliberation: the Anti-Hospital Detention Bill, aimed at protecting poor patients against hospital detention for their inability to pall hospital expenses; the Magna Carta of Community Health Workers, meant to recognize rights of frontline health providers; and amendments to the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997, that would further recognize their rights to their ancestral domain and ancient cultures.
There were other businesses that were set aside, including a crucial session of the powerful Committee on Appointments for the promotion of senior military and police officers.
All these were set aside and would have to wait for the July 27 when Congress resumes.
Political observers underscored "the circus at the Senate may have taken something more from the Filipino people: The illusion that their government is a democracy and that they are government by public servants."