Estrada to personally attend plunder bail hearing as Bernardo testifies

MANILA, Philippines — For the first time, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada will personally attend Wednesday afternoon’s bail hearing in his plunder case before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, according to his office.

Previously, Estrada attended hearings on his bail plea in the case via videoconference. The case stemmed from alleged kickbacks that special prosecutors said were included in the 2025 budget, which involved P573 million.

The senator’s physical presence at the hearing comes as state witness and former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo is scheduled to testify against him.

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On Tuesday, former DPWH chief Manuel Bonoan said Bernardo told him that Estrada had allegedly requested a P1-billion allocation from the “leadership fund.”

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The leadership fund came into existence in the 2025 budget to address the budget cuts made by the Congress in the DPWH’s priority projects like flood control projects, national roads, and basic rural infrastructure, according to Bonoan.

READ: Bonoan: Ex-DBM chief was aware of ‘leadership fund,’ Marcos was not

Bonoan said he has “observed” the closeness of Bernardo and Estrada. 

Furthermore, the witness noted that the senator’s father, former Manila mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada, had requested if Bernardo could be the officer-in-charge of the city engineering office on secondment status.

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Also, Bonoan said Estrada has over P7 billion in “congressional initiatives” in the 2025 budget. 

READ: Bonoan: Estrada has over P7 billion ‘initiatives’ in 2025 budget

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Estrada denied Bonoan’s claims in the latter’s testimony. 

“Senator Estrada has been consistent in refuting such claims, and the official records of the Senate, particularly those of the Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO), will attest to this,” the senator’s legal team said in a statement.

“The LBRMO, in a letter submitted to the Ombudsman last March, stated that “there are no legislative records or official documents indicating any official insertions or amendments made by a senator, specifically Senator Jinggoy Estrada, in the 2025 (national budget) related to the DPWH.”

READ: Estrada’s camp refutes Bonoan’s P7-B insertion claim anew

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Bonoan was Estrada’s co-accused in this case but the Fifth Division allowed special prosecutors to discharge him as part of the Office of the Ombudsman’s move to make him its witness. /jpv