FILE PHOTO: Senator Jinggoy Estrada. Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Jinggoy Estrada has called out the alleged “power tripping” of a Philippine National Police (PNP) officer, who had purportedly asked him for favors and blocked his lawyers from visiting him when he was detained at the Custodial Center in Camp Crame over plunder charges.
Estrada took issue with the officer while the proposed P252.6-billion budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and its attached agencies were being discussed at the Senate plenary session on Tuesday.
“I never knew this policeman. He kept visiting us and asking for favors, and of course, I, together with Senator Bong [Revilla], gave in to all his favors, and when he was assigned to head the Custodial Center, he never showed up and in fact, this scalawag – I will not mention his name – began his power tripping,” he recalled.
READ: Estrada joins Revilla in detention on Monday
Estrada said their lawyers weren’t allowed in the jail, even though family, lawyers, and even priests could visit 24/7.
READ: Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada, Enrile seen ending terms in jail
He didn’t name the officer, but he asked PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. to deny him a promotion.
“I hope he will not be given that opportunity to be promoted if the time comes,” he said.
Senator Sonny Angara, who sponsored the DILG funding, viewed what happened to Estrada as a violation of his human rights.
In addition, he said that the police officer Estrada mentioned has since been transferred to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
“Certainly, we share with you the sentiment that if there is any deprivation of your rights or anyone’s rights for that matter, that should be reflected in the record of the officer,” Angara also noted.
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