'Don't mix politics with accountability': Jinggoy Estrada told after arrest

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MANILA, Philippines — Politics and accountability should never be mixed in the case of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said.

Clavano made the remark in response to Estrada’s pronouncement before being turned over to the Sandiganbayan, where he claimed he was offered the dismissal of his charges in exchange for leaving the majority bloc aligned with Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.

“Ngayon ko lang ito isasapubliko ito: Maraming beses akong inalok na talikuran ang independent majority bloc kapalit ang pagbabasura sa aking kaso, ngunit hindi ko ito tinanggap. Mas nanaig ang paninindigan ako na manatili sa hanay ng mga kasamahan ko sa independent majority bloc,” Estrada said in a press briefing on Monday, June 1.

(I am making this public for the first time: I was offered multiple times to abandon the independent majority bloc in exchange for the dismissal of my case, but I declined. My commitment to stand with my colleagues in the independent majority bloc ultimately prevailed.)

Estrada, however, did not reveal who the individuals were who urged him to defect from the majority bloc.

“Nakahanda akong ipagtanggol ang aking sarili sa hukuman at hindi ako magtatago sa likod ng institusyong ito upang umiwas sa proseso. Ipagtatanggol ko hanggang sa huli ang aking sarili para patunayan na walang batayan ang mga paratang sa akin,” Estrada said.

(I am prepared to defend myself in court and will not hide behind this institution to evade the process. I will defend myself until the end to prove that the allegations against me are baseless.)

In response, Clavano said that if there are individuals attempting to blur the line between these two matters, they must also be held accountable.

“Walang sinumang pwedeng magdesisyon sa ngalan ng Ombudsman pagdating sa mga nakabinbing kaso, dahil ang paggawa nito ay maituturing ding isang uri ng korapsyon,” Clavano said in a message to reporters.

(No one is permitted to make decisions on behalf of the Ombudsman regarding pending cases, as doing so would be considered a form of corruption.)

“Matagal nang iniimbestigahan ang mga kasong ito. Sa katunayan, isinasapubliko naman ang bawat hakbang ng proseso,” he added.

(These cases have been under investigation for a long time. In fact, every step of the process is being made public.)

Estrada was arrested on June 1 for plunder over alleged kickbacks amounting to P573 million from flood control projects.

He was arrested days after he posted bail for graft on May 29.

He is set to be arraigned for his graft charge on Tuesday, June 2. For his plunder charge, he will be arraigned by the anti-graft court on June 4.