Sara Duterte defends HNP’s endorsement of Estrada, Revilla

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio defended her party’s decision to endorse the senatorial bids of former senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, who were both implicated in the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam in 2014.

Duterte-Carpio’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) is endorsing the Senate return bids of Estrada and Revilla in the upcoming May elections.

“Acquitted naman si Senator Bong at si Senator Jinggoy naka-bail so there is no finality sa case niya,” the presidential daughter told reporters after HNP’s campaign kickoff event in San Fernando City in Pampanga.

“Once lang na sinabi ng korte na guilty ang isang tao diyan lang tayo dapat mag-judge sa isang tao,” she added.

Revilla was acquitted of plunder charges in December 2018, while Estrada has been out on bail since September 2017.

Estada was granted bail by the anti-graft court on the basis that he was not the “main plunderer.”

The two former senators were accused of pocketing millions of kickbacks from fake projects, allegedly with help of the scam’s supposed mastermind Janet Lim Napoles. /cbb