MANILA, Philippines — Voting 8-4, the Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the petition of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile to post bail subject to terms and conditions to be specified by the High Court.
The high court's spokesperson Theodore Te confirmed in a press conference that the 91-year-old senator was allowed to post bail for P1 million.
"The court granted the petition for bail of petitioner Juan Ponce Enrile, subject to the terms and conditions to be specified by the Court in its Order which will be forthcoming," the text for the media briefing stated.
Dissenting were Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justices Estela Perlas-Bernabe and Marvic Leonen.
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Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza, meanwhile, inhibited himself from the case as he was the former Solicitor General.
Enrile, a former Senate president, earlier filed a bail petition, citing that the court should consider his advanced age and voluntary surrender.
The senator is facing plunder and graft charges in relation to the controversial pork barrel scam. Enrile, his aides and detained businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles are accused of amassing P172.8 million in kickbacks from the scam of congressional Priority Development Assistance Funds from 2004 to 2010.
Enrile is currently under "hospital arrest" at the Philippine National Police General Hospital at Crame Crame, Quezon City.
Reacting to the tribunal's resolution, Senate President Franklin Drilon said the Senate "will always respect, follow and implement every decision of the courts."
"We will abide by the legal processes as we have always done in the past," Drilon said in a statement.