Ombudsman Boying Remulla says the plunder case against Senator Jinggoy Estrada is now up for filing before the Sandiganbayan, with the case information expected to be signed later today and possibly filed on Thursday, May 28, 2026.
“Pipirmahan ko maya-maya yung information against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, information to be filed in the Sandiganbayan in the soonest possible time, hopefully Thursday. We will file it first thing in the morning by Thursday,” Remulla said.
Remulla said the charges against Estrada would include “plunder and other related offenses” and are tied to his alleged involvement in the multi-billion-peso flood control scandal.
But as the case against Estrada moves forward, public attention now turns to former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, one of the most heavily scrutinized political figures in the controversy.
Critics have described Romualdez as one of the most corrupt politicians of the 21st century. Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano has also called him the alleged “master plunderer” in the flood control corruption scandal, while reports say he is now facing 45 separate probes in what has been described as the largest corruption crackdown in Philippine history.
That pressure now puts the Ombudsman under a sharper spotlight, as the filing against Estrada raises the bigger question of whether the case will move toward the most powerful names allegedly tied to the flood control scheme.
Under Philippine law, plunder is non-bailable when evidence of guilt is strong. That means if Romualdez is charged with plunder and the court finds strong evidence against him, he may be denied bail and remain detained while the case is pending.
The country now waits to see whether the flood control investigation will move beyond the first high-profile filing and reach Romualdez.
