Ruby Tuason not my social secretary – Joseph Estrada

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Former President and now Manila mayor Joseph Estrada denied having Ruby Tuason as his social secretary during his stint in Malacañang.

“She’s not my social secretary. I forgot what position she had…” Estrada said in a television interview Friday.

He made the statement after Tuason went back to the country on the same day to testify against the perpetrators of the pork barrel scam. The pork barrel scam involved the alleged misuse of discretionary lawmakers’ funds by funneling these to ghost projects for kickbacks.

Tuason has been known to be Estrada’s social secretary.

Estrada said he was confident his son Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, one of the respondents on the plunder case over the scam, could defend himself against Tuason’s allegations.

“Wala kaming kakaba-kaba. I know Jinggoy can defend himself,” he said.

The former president added that the pork barrel scam involving his son was “dictated” like his impeachment trial more than a decade ago.

Estrada was convicted of plunder in 2007 but was later pardoned by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“Ganyan naman talaga, sine-set up. Trial by publicity,” he said.

Whistleblowers have pointed to Tuason as the one who received kickbacks for Estrada and co-accused Senator Juan Ponce Enrile.

Aside from the pork scam, Tuason is also respondent to charges over the Malampaya funds scam. The scam involved money for typhoon victims that were funneled to ghost projects for kickbacks.

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