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Philippine court orders arrest, travel ban of Estrada over flood control graft, senator posts bail
This came after Philippine National Police announced it has filed obstruction of justice complaints against Sen Robinhood Padilla for his 'indispensable cooperation' in the escape of Bato dela Rosa
- PUBLISHED: Fri 29 May 2026, 2:12 PM
The Philippine anti-corruption court has issued on Friday an arrest and hold departure order against Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada who is accused of receiving kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects.
The second division of the court called Sandiganbayan also issued the same orders against former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan and other three government engineers.
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Estrada on Friday posted a P90,000 (Dh5,625) bail for his graft case in the Sandiganbayan. The warrant of arrest issued against Estrada is for his graft charge, a bailable offense. The fifth division of the Sandiganbayan still has to issue its own arrest warrant for plunder, a non-bailable charge. It would be his third plunder case since 2001.
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Padilla faces arrest
The development came as another senator is facing possible arrest in a flurry of indictments against senator-judges seen to likely favor Vice President Sara Duterte in her upcoming impeachment trial starting July 2.
The Philippine National Police announced it has filed obstruction of justice complaints against Senator Robinhood Padilla with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday.
The police earlier said Padilla performed “indispensable cooperation” in allowing the fugitive Senator Ronald dela Rosa in dodging imminent arrest at the Senate last May 14. Dela Rosa is wanted by the International Criminal Court as co-perpetrator in the thousands of killings in the war on drugs during the Rodrigo Duterte presidency.
Padilla himself confirmed that he and dela Rosa left the Senate premises in his vehicle in the wee hours of the morning, saying the fugitive senator only “hitched” a ride with him.
The DOJ confirmed receipt of the police complaint, saying it will investigate Padilla’s actions that allowed dela Rosa to return to hiding.
“If the evidence warrants, the matter will be docketed for the conduct of a thorough preliminary investigation to determine whether prima facie evidence exists to charge the respondents in court,” DOJ Spokesperson Polo Martinez said.
If the complaint is elevated to a formal charge, Padilla would face arrest and trial. He would face up to six years imprisonment if convicted. His prison sentence is unlikely to be suspended as he was a convicted criminal before granted absolute pardon by his political patron, former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, in 2016.
Despite the development, however, Padilla is expected to physically participate in the impeachment trial against Vice President Duterte. An obstruction of justice charge is allowed bail in the Philippines.
Going after pro-Duterte senators
If arrested, Estrada and dela Rosa may fail to physically participate in the impeachment trial; Estrada’s case is non-bailable while dela Rosa’s detention would be in faraway The Netherlands.
On Thursday, Department of Interior and Local Government secretary Jonvic Remulla revealed that he called Estrada to ask how he prefers to be arrested.
“I talked to him already. I gave him options and he said he will think about it," Remulla said.
Earlier, Remulla’s elder brother, Philippine Ombudsman Jesus Crispin, announced that aside from Estrada, his office is very close to filing charges against another pro-Duterte senator, Joel Villanueva.
The Ombudsman said there are more senators who will be facing corruption charges, majority of whom are perceived to likely absolve Duterte at the impeachment trial.
The absence of several of Duterte’s allies during the impeachment trial may lead to revelations of confidential data regarding her alleged unexplained wealth and corruption in office.
Whether 16 senator-judges would remain as threshold to convict the impeached official or the impeachment court would decide on two-thirds of those physically present would be a major question to be debated as the political drama in the Philippines continues to unfold.