Estrada: Let’s check CCTV footage to find out Tuason’s senator-clients

By: Maila Ager - 10 years ago

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Saying Ruby Tuason had other “senator-clients,” Senator Jose “Jinggoy’ Estrada on Wednesday requested the Senate to also release all closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage at the 5th floor of the chamber where most of the offices of his colleagues are located.

Estrada said Tuason, his co-accused in the plunder case over the P10-billion “pork barrel” funds, herself had told him that she had “senator-clients.”

The senator then stood up on the floor and requested the chamber to review and release the CTTV footage at the 5th floor from 2010 onwards to check other offices that Tuason had visited.

“When I took the floor last week, I requested the Senate President or the Senate leadership to release all the CCTV footage wherein the presence of Mrs. Ruby Tuason on the 6th floor. Can you just include the 5th floor? Can you kindly monitor the presence of Mrs. Ruby Tuason at the 5th floor maybe in the years 2010 onwards?” Estrada said.

Senate President Franklin Drilon, who was presiding over the session, immediately directed the Office of the Sergeant at Arms to produce the CCTV footage requested by Estrada.

Estrada, while interpellating Senator Teofisto Guingona III on the floor Tuesday, disclosed that Tuason had also approached other former and incumbent senators and offered them projects. He did not elaborate.

Estrada, in an interview with reporters Wednesday, said it was Tuason herself who told him about the other senators.

But asked if his other colleagues had also accepted Tuason’s offer, Estrada said; “Ang sinasabi sa akin, she also has senator-clients.”

But Estrada refused to name names even after he was told about Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV’s remark that he should name them.

Estrada said it was out of his character to drag other people into any controversy but he indicated that had he been allowed to continue his interpellation with Guingona, he would have identified the other senators.