Office of the Ombudsman may file plunder charges vs Sen. Jinggoy Estrada before the Sandiganbayan

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]Senator Rodante Marcoleta, close pal and former Congressman Mike Defensor [music] are but two who have been put on hold for flights out of the country by the Sandiganbayan acting on the behest of the of [music] the Ombudsman.

[00:00:13]Our Rod Lagusad fresh out the details to include repercussions on the Senate majority with at least three of them facing impending [music] plunder, bribery and other felonious charges.

[00:00:26]The office of the Ombudsman may file plunder and malversation charges against Senator Jinggoy Estrada before the Sandiganbayan as early as Thursday.

[00:00:34]According to Ombudsman Crispin Remulla, this is still related to the issue of flood control projects.

[00:01:06]He said they want to ensure they already have all the evidence as they want the hearings to proceed continuously.

[00:01:11]According to Remulla, Estrada has several co-accused in the case, some of whom have already turned state witness.

[00:01:17]And because the case is also now ripe, they may also file a plunder case against Senator Joel Villanueva within the next 2 weeks in connection with a flood control project issue. This follows the recommendation of the DOJ and the office of the Ombudsman's investigation. He said this is an opportunity for the court to revisit the doctrine of plunder. As for former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, he said they are also preparing another money laundering case. But of course, the the grandest case of them all, it's the the most serious case there, the conspiracy to defraud the treasury.

[00:01:50]Uh you tell them uh so by the way, the budget first time to go go in the history of the Philippines to have a case like this, a classic case. He said Romualdez has many cases. According to Remulla, they have already subpoenaed the records of the small committee of the House Committee on Appropriations, which the committee secretariat has refused to provide.

[00:02:09]Meanwhile, regarding the plunder complaint and alleged violation of presidential decree number 46 against Senator Rodante Marcoleta, former Quezon City representative Mike Defensor, and two others before the Ombudsman in connection with the alleged 75 million peso campaign donation. Marcoleta is also facing three counts of indirect bribery.

[00:02:26]Following the hearing of Sandiganbayan 7th Division on the request of the Office of the Ombudsman, it issued a precautionary hold departure order against the four as the Office of the Ombudsman insists the respondents are flight risk.

[00:03:04]Aside from this, they are still studying other cases, which is why they are careful in gathering evidence, but they remain open to restitution or the return of money to the government. Remulla added that three more senators could possibly face charges. Meanwhile, regarding the Office of the Ombudsman's investigation into the shooting incident at the Senate, Remulla said he has written to Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano after seeing that acting sergeant-at-arms Mario Plaska, who had earlier been suspended, was still at the Senate, but he said Cayetano has yet to respond. He said they will subpoena Plaska, while they have also started inviting members of the media who were earlier asked to submit affidavits regarding the incident. The investigation will also include the public pronouncements made by senators such as those posted in Facebook Live and the departure of Senator Bato dela Rosa from the Senate together with Senator Robin Padilla. Rod Lagusad from the national TV network for [music] a new and better Philippines.