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Senator Jinggoy Estrada, heavily escorted by BJMP personnel, emerges from the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City after appearing for his arraignment on graft charges alongside former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan on June 2, 2026.Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

SEN- JINGGOY ESTRADA ARRAIGNMENT

Harlene Delgado

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178840629062220260602-jinggoy-estrada-arraignment-JC4.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align: left;">Senator Jinggoy Estrada, heavily escorted by BJMP personnel, emerges from the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City after appearing for his arraignment on graft charges alongside former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan on June 2, 2026. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><div>&nbsp;</div><p>MANILA &mdash; The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Thursday entered a not guilty plea for Sen. Jinggoy Estrada after the lawmaker refused to enter his plea for both of his plunder and graft cases over the alleged flood control kickback scheme.</p><p>Estrada arrived at the Sandiganbayan on crutches on Thursday morning for his arraignment, accompanied by BJMP personnel.</p><p>The court&rsquo;s move is in accordance with Section 19(c) Rule 116 of the Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure which states that &ldquo;when the accused refuses to plead or makes a conditional plea, a plea of not guilty shall be entered for him.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Let pleas of not guilty be entered into the records of this case,&rdquo; chairperson Associate Justice Zaldy Trespeses said as he read the order.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/9/1/sandiganbayan-grants-bid-to-discharge-bonoan-as-estrada-s-co-accused-in-plunder-graft-2113">RELATED: Sandiganbayan grants prosecution&#39;s bid to discharge Bonoan as Estrada&#39;s co-accused in plunder, graft</a></div><p>Estrada&rsquo;s lawyer Laurence Arroyo said in a chance interview that it was the senator&rsquo;s decision not to enter plea, noting that they will challenge the motion to amend the information in the plunder case against the lawmaker.</p><p>During the hearing, Trespeses asked Estrada himself whether his lawyer had informed him of the contents of the amended information and the consequences after his counsel, Laurence Arroyo, moved to waive the reading of the information on his plunder and graft cases.</p><p>&ldquo;Yes, your honor,&rdquo; Estrada replied.</p><p>The court earlier granted the prosecution&rsquo;s bid to<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/9/1/sandiganbayan-grants-bid-to-discharge-bonoan-as-estrada-s-co-accused-in-plunder-graft-2113">&nbsp;drop former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan as Estrada&rsquo;s co-accused</a> in the plunder and graft cases.</p><p>Meanwhile, Bonoan&rsquo;s counsel Stefanie Ong moved for the court to issue an order directing the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to release Bonoan who is currently under hospital detention at the PNP General Hospital.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/9/2/bonoan-clinically-stable-remains-at-pnp-general-hospital-1142">Sandiganbayan says no release order yet for Bonoan</a></div><p>Trespeses took note of the motion and said the court would issue a separate resolution on the matter.</p><p>The court also gave Estrada&rsquo;s camp 10 days to file an explanation why the lawmaker should not be preventively suspended after his lawyer asked for additional time to submit comment. The prosecution has five days to respond. Thereafter, it will be submitted for resolution.</p><p>The court set the preliminary conference for the marking of evidence on September 11.</p><p>Trespeses directed Estrada&#39;s counsels to join such conference for the court to set a hearing on the lawmaker&#39;s petition for bail.</p><div><strong>&rsquo;OKAY LANG&rsquo;</strong></div><div>&nbsp;</div><p>Speaking to the media after the hearing, Estrada said he would &ldquo;exhaust all legal remedies available to us as advised by my lawyers.&rdquo;</p><p>Asked how his health was, Estrada said he was doing okay.</p><p>&ldquo;Okay lang. According to my doctor, it&rsquo;s up to me if I want the surgery on my left knee,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Estrada&#39;s lawyer Arroyo said they &ldquo;will defend against the plunder charge&rdquo; but would also pursue remedies against the dropping of Bonoan, citing a &ldquo;substantial change in the theory of the government which in part affects their overall defense strategy.</p><p>He added they were studying their options on whether to file a motion for reconsideration or to go straight to the Supreme Court.</p><p>&ldquo;Ang importante sa &#39;min today was to just have the arraignment conducted so that the bail proceedings can already proceed,&rdquo; he noted.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gw9xnfeNmQ8?&wmode=opaque&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br></div>

<p>The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Thursday entered a not guilty plea for Sen. Jinggoy Estrada after the lawmaker refused to enter his plea for both of his plunder and graft cases over the alleged flood control kickback scheme.</p>

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Thursday entered a not guilty plea for Sen. Jinggoy Estrada after the lawmaker refused to enter his plea for both of his plunder and graft cases over the alleged flood control kickback scheme.

Sandiganbayan enters not guilty plea for Estrada over plunder, graft cases

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Sandiganbayan enters not guilty plea for Estrada over plunder, graft cases

Harlene Delgado,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 03, 2026 11:41 AM PHT

|

Updated September 03, 2026 01:21 PM PHT

Read More:

Jinggoy Estrada

Sandiganbayan

Plunder

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