MANILA, Philippines — The Senate is no place for liars and plunderers, Senator Leila de Lima said as she took a swipe at senatorial candidate Jinggoy Estrada, who has maintained his innocence over the multibillion-peso “pork barrel” scam.
“Nagtataka talaga ako sa lakas ng loob ng mga gaya niya na kumandidato, humarap sa mga tao at magreklamo tungkol sa dinanas daw nilang panggigipit sa nakaraang administrasyon. Pero kung titingnan naman kung gaano katibay ang mga ebidensya laban sa kanila, malinaw na sangkot sila sa anomalya,” De Lima said in a statement Thursday.
“Kitang-kita ang estilo nila: Maninira at maninisi sila ng iba para magmukha silang malinis. Magpakatotoo na sila, lalung-lalo na si Jinggoy, dahil hindi lang nila niloloko ang kanilang sarili, kundi ang taumbayan,” she added.
READ: Jinggoy maintains innocence: We’re victims of selective justice
Estrada, who is now out on bail, was accused of pocketing P183 million in kickbacks in the “pork barrel” scam allegedly masterminded by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.
However, in recent campaign sorties, Estrada said he and his fellow accused, former senators Bong Revilla and Juan Ponce Enrile, were victims of “selective justice.”
Revilla and Enrile are both seeking a Senate comeback in the upcoming midterm elections in May 2019.
Enrile is also out on bail while Revilla was acquitted in December last year.
READ: Bong Revilla acquitted of plunder
“The Senate doors should be closed to liars and plunderers,” said De Lima.
The detained senator added that Estrada should stop feeding Filipinos with lies about his supposed innocence.
She noted that the report of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), which bared Estrada’s receipt of P70.7 million worth of alleged kickbacks from Napoles, is “nothing less than corroborative to the testimony on record that indeed Estrada received kickbacks [or] commissions.”
READ: Enough evidence to prove Jinggoy committed plunder – Ombudsman
De Lima meanwhile hopes that Estrada would stop “making fun” of her “unjust detention” as it will “not make you (Estrada) any better.”
“As I’ve mentioned before, you and I are different. I am deprived of my freedom because of the personal and political vendetta of Mr. Duterte who saw me as his political enemy while you are facing plunder charges because you stole from the Filipino’s money. This is not about political climate,” she said.
READ: No persecution in ‘pork barrel’ scam cases during Aquino admin – De Lima
Charges were filed against the three ex-senators during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III with De Lima serving as the Justice Secretary at the time.
De Lima is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame in Quezon City on drug charges. /muf