People of the Philippines vs senators et al.
Contrary to the debilitating gridlock the Senate has found itself in, the wheels of justice do not seem to be turning slowly in the flood control mess.
Away from the drama and fanfare of the Senate, the Sandiganbayan justices are doing their work as they should, issuing arrest warrants to acquire jurisdiction over accused individuals, no matter how high and mighty they may be, and foiling frivolous motions that are obviously meant to thwart the ends of justice in a country hungry for the speedy administration of justice.
It raises the question of whether the country’s judicial system can truly be trusted by the anxious public to deliver justice this time. Those of us who pay taxes diligently but face daily floods during the rainy season—whether from clogged drainage, water cascading down the mountains, or overflowing streams in low-lying areas—are deeply frustrated by the corruption and greed that have marked the flood control mess.
Testimonies in the Senate and now in the antigraft court undeniably recount a sordid tale of ghost flood control projects whose taxpayer-funded funds, earmarked by Congress, shamelessly ended up in the pockets of a few greedy government officials, whether at the ultra-corrupt Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) or in the Congress of the Philippines, which includes the Senate.
This plunder of the nation’s coffers by these voracious thieves and crooks in government should never happen again. Unless we—the people—put our foot down, these lawmakers and their accomplices in the executive branch behind the flood control mess will do it again. Therefore, the nation’s last bastion of hope remains with the judiciary, and all eyes are now on the Sandiganbayan as it sifts the proverbial grain from the chaff in fulfilling its sacred duty.
The latest to feel the weight of the legal authority wielded by these learned jurists are the five accused in the plunder case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman: Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and three DPWH district engineers—former DPWH National Capital Region district engineer Arturo Gonzalez Jr., assistant engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna, and former district engineer Manny Bulusan.
They face the nonbailable crime of plunder under Republic Act No. 7080, which criminalizes large-scale corruption by public officials and their accomplices who amassed ill-gotten wealth totaling P50 million.
Estrada et al. have been committed to the Quezon City jail in Payatas, joining former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and his co-accused, who have been detained there since Jan. 20, 2026, on a nonbailable charge of malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents, as well as graft charges.
Revilla and six other DPWH officials stand accused of allegedly receiving kickbacks in connection with the P92.8 million “ghost” (nonexistent) flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan. The Ombudsman charged Estrada, Bonoan, and the DPWH engineers with allegedly receiving P573 million in kickbacks from flood control projects. The case is being handled by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, while Estrada is separately being tried by the Second Division for graft charges.
Estrada, Revilla, Bonoan, and the other accused have denied wrongdoing and vowed to fight it out in the legal arena to clear their names.
But this is the third time Estrada has faced high-profile cases before the Sandiganbayan, having been earlier charged in 2001 and 2014, while this is Revilla’s second time, having been charged in 2014 before the latest case. Both lawmakers were charged with plunder in connection with the P10-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, first exposed by the Inquirer in 2013.
The new Quezon City jail in Barangay Payatas, Quezon City, is large enough to accommodate inmates, including those implicated in the flood control scandal. The facility, administered by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, sits on a 2.4-hectare site and complies with United Nations standards. It comprises three 5-story buildings housing 440 cells, each accommodating up to 20 inmates.
In addition to Estrada, six or seven more senators will likely be brought to court soon in connection with the flood control scandal, which stemmed from widespread collusion among those who hold the levers of power in this country—between members of the executive and legislative branches, no less.
More cases to come. Last week, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla announced in a media briefing that the antigraft body was preparing charges against Estrada and three additional senators. When asked how many more might face court proceedings, Remulla replied, “three or four more,” beyond Estrada and the three others. However, he did not confirm whether the remaining senators would face plunder charges similar to those brought against Estrada and Revilla.
We’re not saying that those named so far by witnesses who testified before the Senate and Sandiganbayan are guilty. Not yet. That is the judgment the Sandiganbayan justices will render at the conclusion of the trial. And yes, these senators and their co-accused are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24).
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