FACT CHECK: Jinggoy Estrada not acquitted of plunder; bail hearing ongoing

For non-bailable cases like plunder, a petition for bail needs to be filed. The court then holds summary hearings to determine whether the evidence of guilt is strong.

AT A GLANCE

• Senator Jinggoy Estrada has not been acquitted of plunder and remains incarcerated.
• He is currently undergoing a bail hearing related to plunder, bribery, and graft charges linked to flood control projects.

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Claim: Senator Jinggoy Estrada is acquitted of plunder.

Rating: FALSE

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.

• FACT CHECK: Remulla denies statement urging the public to ‘move on’ from flood control controversies
• FACT CHECK: Video of Tulfos admitting flood control payoff is AI-generated
• FACT CHECK: Social media card of Leviste tagging Paolo Duterte in flood control mess is fake
• FACT CHECK: AI-manipulated clip misrepresents Zaldy Co video on flood control scandal
• FACT CHECK: Claire Castro quote blaming heavy floods on blocked drains is fake

 – Lorenz Pasion/Rappler.com

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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