Estrada: Don’t link my family to Napoles

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada quickly dismissed insinuations  linking his family to an alleged  attempt to  extort money from  alleged pork barrel scam  queen Janet Lim-Napoles, saying  it has no basis.

“Nanghihingi lang ako ng sulat e. Bakit ako ang nali-link dyan? I just wanted to know what was the action of the President, what was the instruction of the President to Secretary De Lima. Bakit binabalik sa akin? Malay ko naman dyan?” Estrada said in  a phone patch interview with Senate reporters.

(I was just  asking for a copy of the letter.  Why I’m being  linked  to  it? I just wanted to know what was the action of the President, what was the instruction of the President to Secretary  De lima. Why  are they turning it against  me?)

Senator Jinggoy Estrada. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

He was reacting to  President Aquino’s  statement that the senator  probably knew more about  Napoles’  letter.

It was Estrada who  first brought up about Napoles’ letter during the   confirmation hearing of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima at the Senate  Wednesday.

Apparently reacting to Estrada,  Aquino revealed the  contents of the letter, which showed that Levito Baligod, former lawyer of whistleblower Benhur Luy and Retired General Rodolfo Diaz, former  head of  the Presidential  Security Group (PSG) during the time of then President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada , were allegedly extorting money from Napoles.

But the senator said there was no basis to immediately link his family to the alleged extortion attempt  just because  Diaz used to work for his father. He said he had no contact with Diaz, and had never seen him.

“Sana kung sya yung talagang nangha-harass kay Napoles, sana antimano, inimbestigahan kaagad si General Diaz kung totoo yung  sinasabi ni Mrs. Napoles. They should have investigated him right away. He should not tolerate any misdeeds of our people.”

“Sana nga inimbestigahan sya at that time when President Aquino received the letter of Mrs.  Napoles. Sana pinaimbestigahan nya agad sa NBI (National Bureau of Investigation).

Asked  if he had  any hard feelings for the President,  the senator said: “Hindi naman.

There’s no basis naman for my family to be linked dun sa extortion kay Napoles .”

“Bakit, kung ang nirereklamo yung dating PSG, e bakit naman ili-link s aamin yun  di ba?” he further asked.