Ombudsman hits Jinggoy’s planned holiday travels

MANILA, Philippines — The prosecution panel of the Office of the Ombudsman has opposed Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s bid to travel to Japan, Norway, Iceland and Austria during the holiday break, saying that the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan must take caution as the lawmaker is already being investigated in connection with the flood control scam.

In a hearing yesterday morning, the court’s Fifth Division noted that Estrada has two pending motions to travel – one to Japan on Dec. 26 to 31, 2025 and the other to Norway, Iceland and Austria on Jan. 5 to 15, 2026.

 The court, however, said several documents must be submitted by Estrada to supply additional details about his intended travels, such as his plane tickets, hotel bookings, detailed itinerary as well as affidavits of undertaking of at least two of his counsels. 

Estrada, through his lawyer Noel Malaya, was given five days to submit the required documents. 

Meanwhile, prosecutor Leni Padaca of the ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor said their camp has already filed a written opposition against Estrada’s motion to travel to Japan and is adopting the same opposition in his newly filed motion to travel to Norway, Iceland and Austria. 

Padaca argued in open court that Estrada is already facing investigation in connection with the flood control scam, thus, the court must “take caution” in allowing him to leave the country.

 “We refer to the previous argument that there is no absolute necessity to travel. And we would like the court to take judicial notice of the fact that the ICI (Independent Commission for Infrastructure) has requested the inclusion of Senator Estrada in the look-out bulletin order because of his alleged involvement in the flood-control scam. We would like this court to take caution against granting the motion,” Padaca said.

 The court noted the prosecution’s opposition and said both motions will be submitted for resolution once Estrada’s camp submits the additional documents. 

Estrada is facing 11 counts of graft before the Fifth Division in connection with the alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel during his term as a senator in 2004 to 2012.

 He is accused of receiving P183 million worth of kickbacks or commissions from alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles in exchange for allocating portions of his PDAF to the latter’s bogus foundations for the supposed livelihood projects.

 The ombudsman, which filed the cases in 2014, said Estrada’s projects turned out to be “ghost” or fictitious.

 Last year, the Fifth Division acquitted Estrada as well as Napoles of plunder still in connection with the PDAF scam. 

Napoles, however, remains in detention as she was earlier convicted of plunder over the PDAF of former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. while the latter was acquitted of the case. 

Estrada is among the lawmakers currently being investigated by the ombudsman in connection with their alleged involvement in flood control project anomalies. 

The ICI, in its interim report submitted to the ombudsman last month, recommended charges of plunder, graft as well as direct and indirect bribery against Estrada, Sen. Joel Villanueva, resigned congressman Zaldy Co, former Caloocan congresswoman Mary Mitzi Cajayon-Uy, Commission on Audit commissioner Mario Lipana and former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Roberto Bernardo over their alleged involvement in the systematic “kickback scheme” in flood control projects.