MANILA, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Philippine Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Monday announced his surrender to the police, after the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan ordered his arrest over a plunder charge.

Estrada surrendered to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police and said at a press briefing earlier Monday that he would not seek Senate custody, adding that he was ready to defend himself before the court.

"I will not hide behind the institution to evade the process," he added.

Last week, the Philippine Office of the Ombudsman filed charges against him before the Sandiganbayan, alleging that he pocketed over 573 million pesos in illegal kickbacks by tampering with 2025 flood-control project funding allocations. Estrada has repeatedly denied the allegations against him.

Earlier on Monday, the Sandiganbayan issued an arrest warrant against Estrada for a non-bailable plunder and graft case. According to local media reports, plunder is among the most serious corruption offenses under Philippine law and carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Under the law, bail may only be granted if the court finds that the evidence of guilt is not strong.

During Monday's press briefing, Estrada stated that he had been offered multiple times to leave the independent majority bloc in exchange for the dismissal of the cases linked to the flood control scandal. Nevertheless, he affirmed that he would remain with the majority bloc.

In the second half of last year, a large-scale corruption scandal involving flood-control projects broke out, triggering sustained mass anti-corruption protests across the country. ■