Jinggoy Estrada no longer inclined to face Cunanan in Senate probe

By: Maila Ager - 11 years ago

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada said he is no longer inclined to face his accuser, Dennis Cunanan in the Senate next week as he expressed doubts over the latter’s decision to have his bank accounts examined.

“Luto na yun, game fixing na yan (It has been manipulated already. It’s already game-fixing),” Estrada said in an interview on Thursday when asked about Cunanan’s decision to open his bank accounts just to prove that he had not received kickbacks from the “pork barrel funds” scam.

“He is confident to have his bank accounts opened because these have been already manipulated,” Estrada said in Filipino.

This was why Estrada said he might just reconsider his earlier pronouncement to face Cunanan, who is invited to attend the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee on March 6.

“I think I will not be attending the hearing… it will only be full of lies,” he said.

But the senator said he and his lawyers would still meet on Monday to finalize his decision.

Estrada was convinced that Cunanan was just being used to pin him down and Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.

Both Estrada and Revilla, along with Cunanan, have been charged at the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the P10 billion “pork barrel” scam.

But Cunanan decided to turn against his co-accused when he applied to be a state witness, claiming that he had personally talked to the two senators over the phone about their pork barrel funds.

Estrada was surprised to learn that Cunanan is still in government, saying he should have long been dismissed from his post.