Jinggoy: I’ve filed 600 Senate bills, how about the ‘yellows’?
VIGAN CITY, Philippines — Former Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Monday took a swipe at opposition senators, claiming that an actor-politician like him has filed more bills.
Estrada, who is eyeing a Senate return in the May elections, made the remark during the Hugpong ng Pagbabago’s (HNP) campaign sortie here.
He claimed that he had filed more than 600 Senate bills since becoming a senator in 2004.
“Sabi nila, bakit raw boboto ng artista? Bakit hindi? Nakita naman niyo, ang inyong lingkod, nakapag-file ng anim na daang panukalang batas (They were asking why would they vote for an actor? Why not? You’ve seen for yourself, I’ve filed 600 bills),” Jinggoy told thousands of Ilocanos who trooped to the Tamag open grounds to support HNP’s senatorial bets.
The former senator then asked opposition senators how many bills they have filed in the upper chamber.
“Oh ngayon tignan natin ‘yung track record nung ibang mayayabang na dilaw dyan. Ilang batas ang pinasa nila? Wala pa yatang singkwenta. Tapos sasabihin nila walang karapatan ang mga artista na manilbihan bilang isang Senador ng ating bansa,” he added.
(Let’s see the track record of the arrogant ‘yellows.’ How many bills have they passed? Maybe not even 50. Then they’ll say that actors don’t have any right to become a senator of this country.)
“Yellow” is the political color of the opposition Liberal Party.
Among Estrada’s landmark measures was the Kasambahay Law, or the law promoting the interests and welfare of the domestic workers in the Philippines.
READ: Finally, Aquino signs ‘kasambahay’ bill into law
Estrada, along with his fellow actor-politician Bong Revilla, was jailed for their alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam in 2014.
They were accused of pocketing millions in kickbacks from fake projects allegedly with the help of the scam’s supposed mastermind, Janet Lim Napoles.
Estrada has been out on bail since September 2017. /ee
READ: Jinggoy Estrada camp posts bail
