(From left) Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr.: Abstention. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The three senators fighting indictment for plunder in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel scam abstained from voting Monday on a measure aimed at speeding up the resolution of graft cases in the Sandiganbayan.
Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. abstained from voting on Senate Bill No. 2138 when it was put to a vote on third and final reading.
Twenty senators initially voted to approve the measure until Revilla manifested that he intended to change his affirmative vote to an abstention in the Senate journal.
The three senators did not offer any explanation for their abstention.
The Ombudsman is set to file plunder and graft cases against the three once Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales returns from a two-week conference on corruption in the United States. Morales left for the US last Saturday, according to reports.
SB 2183 seeks to amend the Sandiganbayan law to speed up the resolution of cases and decongest the antigraft court, according to its sponsor, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III.
The bill seeks to transfer the jurisdiction over “minor cases” to the regional trial courts to enable the Sandiganbayan to focus on hearing the “most significant cases” against public officials.
Senate President Franklin Drilon, author and cosponsor of the bill, said that around 60 percent of the cases pending in the Sandiganbayan in the last quarter of 2013 were minor cases or allegations of damages not exceeding P1 million.
Under the bill, the concurrence of two justices is enough for the court to hand down a ruling on a motion, judgment or final order.—TJ Burgonio