The Supreme Court (SC) en banc has dismissed multiple petitions filed by Senator Jose “Jinggoy” P. Ejercito Estrada related to the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) cases, confirming that his corruption charges can be prosecuted independently of those on plunder.
In a decision written by Associate Justice Maria Philomena D. Singh on October 28, 2025, the court ruled that Mr. Estrada's pleas on the plunder counts were “controversial and academic” because the Sandiganbayan had already acquitted him of plunder on January 19, 2024.
Also, it dismissed his corruption petitions, rejecting his argument that the plunder cases under the Anti-Corruption and Corrupt Practices Act should be “expunged”.
The Supreme Court explained that the targets of plunder and corruption are different forms of wrongdoing: plunder involves a public official directly enriching himself – Mr. Estrada's plunder case involved at least P183.79 million in alleged bribes from businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles – while corruption involves giving undue benefits to private individuals, Mr. Estrada faced 11 counts of corruption, involving about P255.11 million from his PDAF. Funds were sent through various foundations.
He did not immediately respond to a Viber group chat message seeking comment. – Erica Mae P. Sinaking
