MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine anti-corruption court issued an arrest warrant Friday for a sitting senator accused of accepting millions of dollars in kickbacks from a flood control project, marking another scandal affecting the nation’s Senate.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada turned himself in and posted bail at the Sandiganbayan court, which will allow him to stay out of custody as his case moves forward.
The court prohibited Estrada from traveling outside the country as he faces the first of two corruption charges related to irregularities in the flood control project.
A second arrest warrant for a non-bailable charge is anticipated to be issued soon, according to top anti-graft prosecutor Jesus Crispin Remulla, who spoke to The Associated Press.
The 63-year-old Estrada has vigorously rejected accusations primarily made by a former government public works engineer claiming he accepted over 570 million pesos ($9.3 million) in illegal payments.
“I intend to avail myself of every lawful means to defend myself and clear my name,” Estrada said.
The senator previously worked as an actor, following in the footsteps of his father, former President Joseph Estrada. Both men have faced detention on separate corruption-related charges in the past.
Multiple other senators and House of Representatives members have been connected to the flood control irregularities in the impoverished Asian island nation, which faces extreme vulnerability to fatal floods and typhoons.
A different senator, Ronald dela Rosa, has remained in hiding after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity.
Dela Rosa previously served as national police chief and implemented a harsh anti-drug campaign under former President Rodrigo Duterte that resulted in thousands of deaths, primarily among minor suspects. The extraordinarily high death toll concerned Western nations.
Duterte, who left office in 2022 following his turbulent six-year presidency, was arrested last year on ICC orders and transported to the Netherlands, where he remains detained and will stand trial for alleged crimes against humanity beginning in November related to some of the killings.
Both Duterte and dela Rosa have rejected any wrongdoing, though Duterte had regularly threatened drug suspects with death.
Dela Rosa has been missing from the Senate since November due to arrest concerns. On May 11, he unexpectedly returned to assist an ally, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, in securing the Senate presidency with a narrow 13-vote majority in the 24-member body.
Dela Rosa rushed to the Senate floor after government agents attempted to apprehend him. He was placed under the Senate’s protective custody but escaped two days later when the chamber’s security chief and two assistants opened fire after spotting government agents in a nearby building.
The multiple gunshots caused no injuries but created pandemonium in the Senate that police investigators believe may have given dela Rosa an opportunity to flee.
Estrada, dela Rosa and Cayetano are supporters of Duterte and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, who was impeached by the House of Representatives in an overwhelming May 11 vote over criminal accusations including unexplained wealth and threatening to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife and a former House speaker.
The vice president, who has declared her intention to run for president in 2028, denies the charges but has not provided detailed responses.
Despite the ongoing Senate crises, the chamber has assembled as an impeachment court for the vice president’s trial, which may begin in July.
