FACT CHECK: Jinggoy Estrada not acquitted of plunder; bail hearing ongoing - Rappler
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Claim: Senator Jinggoy Estrada is acquitted of plunder.
Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube post containing the claim has over 12,563 views as of writing.
The post, dated October 24, is titled, “SAWAKAS! GOODNEWS TO! KAPAPASOK LANG! SEN J1NGG0Y ESTRADA PANALO sa PANGYAYARING TO B0Y1NG NA1SAHAN?”
(Finally! This is good news! Just in! Senator Jinggoy Estrada outsmarts Boying and wins case!)
The video also has a thumbnail that says, “Abswelto na! Lalaya na! Mga kaso! Binasura na!”
(Acquitted and is now free! Cases are junked!)
The facts: Estrada is still incarcerated at the New Quezon City Jail following his arrest over plunder, bribery, and graft cases related to Bulacan flood control projects. Plunder is non-bailable.
The senator has an ongoing bail hearing at the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division for his plunder, contrary to the claim that said the anti-graft court already acquitted Estrada. If the court finds that the evidence is weak, it will grant the bail petition. (READ: Revilla’s P1-M bail: What ‘weak evidence’ bought him)
Flood control corruption: The Office of the Ombudsman ordered Estrada’s arrest on June 1, over allegations pointing to the senator receiving over P573 million in kickbacks from public infrastructure projects.
Aside from Estrada, the Ombudsman also filed charges against former Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan and other key DPWH officials over their involvement in flood control-related budget insertions. On June 30, the Ombudsman turned Bonoan into a state witness, leaving Estrada the sole defendant in the case involving alleged misuse of public works funds.
On October 27, 2026, Bonoan appeared at Estrada’s bail hearing and testified that the senator had at least P7.4 billion in congressional initiatives in 2025.
Previous related fact-checks: Rappler has previously debunked several claims surrounding the multi-billion-peso Philippine flood control scandal.
Lorenz Pasion is a Rappler contributor. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor.
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