MANILA — Senator Jinggoy Estrada informed the Sandiganbayan of his return to the Philippines following visits to Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan from March 31 to April 5.

Wearing a striped polo shirt, Estrada reported to the court as required under the conditions set for his overseas travel.

Estrada must seek court approval each time he travels abroad while facing 11 counts of graft over alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) during his 2004–2010 term as senator. Graft is considered a bailable offense, and Estrada is currently out on bail.

The Office of the Ombudsman has accused him of channeling portions of his PDAF to non-government organizations linked to businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles in exchange for kickbacks. Prosecutors said about P183 million of Estrada’s PDAF allocations were allegedly funneled to Napoles-linked NGOs for supposed livelihood and development projects that were later found to be non-existent or irregular.

In January 2024, the Sandiganbayan acquitted Estrada of plunder.