Appearing on crutches before the anti-graft tribunal on Thursday, September 3, Senator Jinggoy Estrada declined to enter a plea during his formal reading of charges for plunder and graft, prompting the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division to enter a “not guilty” plea on his behalf.
Defense counsel Atty. Laurence Hector Arroyo explained that the decision to stand mute was directly linked to the defense team’s opposition regarding recent modifications to the plunder charge sheet.
”There was a challenge to the motion to amend the information in the plunder case against Senator Estrada. So, our position was the decision not to enter a plea,” Arroyo said.
According to Arroyo, the legal team is currently weighing its next steps following the court’s decision to grant the prosecution’s request to amend the charge sheet, which effectively dropped former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan as a co-defendant.
He argued that the revision fundamentally shifted the government’s argument and impacted their line of defense.
”Our position there is that there has been a change in theory, but we will defend against the plunder charge. But we will also, at the same time, pursue our remedies against the amendment because, at least in our position, there has been a substantial change in the theory of the government, which in part affects our overall defense strategy,” he said.
Arroyo noted that they have a five-day window to evaluate whether to file a motion for reconsideration or escalate the matter to the Supreme Court.
”What was important to us today was just to have the arraignment conducted so that the bail proceedings could already proceed,” he said.
For his part, Estrada reaffirmed that he will challenge the allegations in accordance with his legal counsel’s advice.
”We will exhaust all legal remedies available to us as advised by my lawyers,” the senator said.
Regarding his physical condition, Estrada indicated that he was managing his health and noted that any decision regarding potential knee surgery remains up to him.
”Okay lang. According to my doctor, it’s up to me if I want the surgery on my left knee,” he said.
The Office of the Ombudsman initiated the plunder and graft charges against Estrada and Bonoan before the Sandiganbayan on May 28, alleging unlawful budgetary insertions and illegal kickbacks connected to flood-control and infrastructure initiatives under the Department of Public Works and Highways in the Fiscal Year 2025 national budget.