Philippine senator Estrada faces arrest on corruption charges

MANILA, May 28 (Reuters) - A Philippine ‌senator and ​son of ​a former president could soon face arrest after an anti-graft body charged him on Thursday of receiving illicit payouts in an ‌infrastructure scandal that has slowed economic growth and hammered consumer and ⁠investor confidence.

The Office of the Ombudsman said Senator Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada has been indicted for plunder ‌and violating anti-corruption laws after ‌he earned "kickbacks" amounting to 573 million pesos ($9.30 million) from a scheme that defrauded infrastructure projects paid for by the national budget.

"If the honourable court ​finds probable cause, we anticipate the subsequent issuance of warrants of arrest against the principal respondents," Assistant Ombudsman and spokesperson Mico Clavano told a ⁠press briefing.

• Charged alongside Estrada are former public works minister Manuel Bonoan and engineering officials from the ​ministry.

• Estrada said in a statement that he will exhaust all legal remedies, asserting that the evidence disproving the accusations against ​him has been overlooked.

• When asked by ‌reporters on Tuesday about the impending charges, he said, "Well, if this is the price that I have to pay for ⁠standing on my own principles and what I believe in, so be it."

• Bonoan did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

• The charges were filed ⁠on Thursday before the Sandiganbayan, which are special Philippine courts that tackle high-profile corruption charges. ​They also investigated the ill-gotten wealth of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

• The corruption scandal, which has centred on dangerously flawed flood-control facilities across the Philippines, has shaken ‌the graft-weary nation and tempered economic growth in recent quarters.

• Estrada has been jailed twice before, also on corruption offences.

• ‌His father, Joseph Estrada, was the first former president to be convicted of plunder. ⁠His successor, Gloria Arroyo, later ‌pardoned him and ordered ​his release, paving the way for his return to politics.

($1 = 61.5990 Philippine pesos)

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores and Nestor Corrales; Editing by ‌David Stanway)

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