Manila: The Sandiganbayan has issued a warrant of arrest against Senator Jose 'Jinggoy' Ejercito Estrada and former public works secretary Manuel Bonoan. The anti-graft court's Second Division directed law enforcement agencies, including the Quezon City Police District, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and the National Bureau of Investigation, to implement the warrant related to their alleged involvement in ghost flood control projects.

According to Philippines News Agency, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano stated that the plunder and graft cases filed by the Office of the Ombudsman against Estrada and Bonoan involve illicit payouts amounting to PHP573 million. This marks the third occasion Estrada has faced indictment for plunder.

The cases against Estrada and Bonoan are being handled by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, which is also dealing with three former officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) named as respondents. Estrada made an appearance at the Sandiganbayan to post PHP90,000 bail for his graft case.

Initially, the complaint included former DPWH Undersecretary Cathy Cabral, former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, former NCR Regional Director Gerard Opulencia, and former Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara. Cabral was removed from the case posthumously, while Bernardo, Opulencia, and Alcantara were excluded from charges after applying to become state witnesses.

The Senate is preparing to resume hearings on the alleged flood control project anomalies next week. Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, during a Facebook livestream, mentioned that the Senate majority agreed to form a subcommittee, led by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, to continue the inquiry. Marcoleta is expected to issue notices on Monday for hearings resuming on Thursday.

Cayetano emphasized the need for an impartial investigation to uncover the complete truth, not just a partial or distorted version mixed with falsehoods.