Jinggoy bucks impeach raps vs Noy

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, wearing an orange ribbon pinned to his barong yesterday when he attended a bail hearing at the Sandiganbayan where he is facing plunder and graft charges, is not in favor of impeaching President Aquino.

He instead called for unity and an end to divisiveness.

“Let’s not divide the country anymore,” he said, explaining that the color orange is a combination of yellow – associated with Aquino’s camp – and red, which judiciary employees and judges are using along with black to symbolize their protest against the alleged bullying of the administration and the legislature’s attacks against the judicial branch.

Orange is actually the color of the senator’s party, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino.

“We have a lot of problems to solve and we should let the President finish his term up to 2016,” said Estrada. 

Aside from Estrada, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon Revilla Jr., alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles and several congressmen and other personalities are facing plunder and graft charges for the misuse of billions of pesos worth of pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers.

Estrada, who is asking the Sandiganbayan to grant him bail, believes that the impeachment complaints against Aquino will not prosper.

“This is a numbers game. I don’t think the House will muster enough signatures to impeach the President, considering the fact that majority of its members are allies of the President. Maybe we should end the divisiveness. We are tired. The people are tired,” he said, adding that impeachment proceedings at the Senate will also hamper legislation.

Ombudsman prosecutors presented graft investigation and prosecution officer (GIPO) Vic Escalante of the anti-graft agency’s Field Investigation Office (FIO) in yesterday’s bail hearing.

Estrada, who has been religiously attending hearings on his plunder and graft cases, was ordered suspended for 90 days by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division last week.

Enrile bucks suspension

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile asked the Sandiganbayan yesterday to dismiss the moves of ombudsman prosecutors to suspend him, arguing that under the 1987 Constitution only the Senate of the Philippines has the power to discipline him.

Enrile’s lawyer Estelito Mendoza made the argument before the anti-graft court’s Third Division, pointing out the rights of the senator will be violated if a preventive suspension order is issued based on Republic Act 6070 or the Plunder Law.

Enrile’s camp said the validity of the criminal complaint for plunder filed by the Office of the Ombudsman is still in question for being too general and they intend to elevate the matter before the Supreme Court.

“Assuming, for the sake of argument, that the Information is valid, the suspension of Enrile is still improper as it violates the constitutionally enshrined right of Enrile to due process, and of the independence of the legislative branch of government,” Mendoza said in an 11-page opposition to the prosecution’s motion to suspend.

“The 1987 Constitution explicitly provides that each house of the legislative branch shall have the power to punish its members for disorderly behavior, and with the concurrence of two-thirds of all its members, suspend or expel a member. Thus, only the Senate shall have the power to suspend Enrile from his office,” Mendoza said.