Senator-elect Joseph Victor Ejercito. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s resignation could have been triggered by the demolition job on him and his son, Cagayan Representative Jack Enrile, senator-elect and San Juan Representative Joseph Victor Ejercito Estrada said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters in a chance interview at the House of Representatives, Estrada said that he felt sad that Enrile resigned from his post, given that the Senate President “performed very well during the Corona impeachment.”
“It is sad that it had to end that way after he steered the Senate very diligently during the past few years,” said Estrada.
JV Estrada won during the midterm elections under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), an opposition coalition led by his father former President and now Manila mayor-elect Joseph Estrada, Enrile and Vice President Jejomar Binay.
UNA’s campaign had not been easy, Estrada said, speculating that the Senate President quit from his post due to the vicious attacks they received at the time.
“It seems that after he was able to preside the impeachment trial, which Malacanang wanted, they started the demolition job. It started in January, I think, maybe even earlier,” he said.
“When they found no more use for him, goodbye na,” added the senator-elect.
“This is sad. We would have wanted to retain him but he has done a good job as Senate President,” he said.
Estrada recalled being at the receiving end of demolition jobs during the campaign period and said that while he and the Vice President’s daughter Nancy Binay had their share of criticisms, majority were trained on the young Enrile.
“During the campaign there were demolition jobs on Enrile, sa akin, kay Binay. Pero mas puro kay Enrile,” he said.
“It was the ruling party’s intention to wipe out the Three Kings (UNA’s leaders Enrile, Estrada, Binay). There was that intention to eliminate political families that were not allies (of the administration,” Estrada lamented.