Jinggoy to hold ‘thank you’ tour

MANILA, Philippines — Former senator Jinggoy Estrada will go around the country to thank his supporters after he was freed on bail on Sept. 16.

“Maybe next month or two months from now. I will start my tour in the Visayas,” Estrada said yesterday after attending the first day of his trial on 11 counts of graft in connection with the multimillion-peso pork barrel fund scam at the Sandiganbayan.

Ombudsman prosecutors presented Ma. Lourdes Arbas, director of the Office of the Senate Secretary, during the hearing.

Arbas testified on the authenticity of the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth of Estrada from 2004 to 2013. The SALNs show that from P81 million in 2004, Estrada’s wealth grew to P195 million in 2013.

Another prosecution witness, Marissa Santos, chief administrative officer of the Department of Budget and Management special records division, testified that several Special Allotment Release Orders were issued by the DBM following Estrada’s endorsement of non-government organizations (NGOs) linked to alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.

The Sandiganbayan  has allowed Estrada to post bail of P1.3 million in connection with his plunder case.

Estrada is accused of receiving P183 million in kickbacks by allocating portions of his Priority Development Assistance Fund to fake NGOs.

In an interview after the hearing, Estrada said his father, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, 80, was diagnosed with a slipped disc.

The mayor will undergo therapy sessions.