MANILA, Philippines – Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada may soon lose his freedom, but not his humor.
In what could be his last guesting at the Senate’s weekly forum before he finds himself behind bars in connection with the “pork barrel” scam, Estrada still managed to crack jokes about his impending arrest and the “sexy” tag being labeled to him.
Estrada, for instance, joked about wanting to share his jail with his father, former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, who was jailed and convicted of plunder in 2011.
The senator was also charged and jailed along with his father but was later acquitted.
“E akong noong araw kaya ako siguro isinama ng Ombudsman sa charge sheet noong 2001 siguro para may makasama ang tatay ko dahil wala naman talagang kaso. E ngayon, hindi ko naman masingil ang tatay ko na samahan ako sa loob… Joke lang,” he said during the weekly “Kapihan sa Senado” held in a restaurant in Manila.
Senator Estrada also talked about his unreleased movie with actress Maja Salvador originally entitled “Daddyguard,” which they finished even before the scam broke out.
He said he was requesting to change the title of the movie to “Ang Daddy kong sexy.”
There have been speculations that the senator was the lawmaker allegedly using the code name “Sexy” in the records of whistleblower Benhur Luy.
If arrested, the senator said he might also try to learn how to make the popular loom bands to fight boredom in jail.
“Gusto na akong turuan ng asawa ko na gumawa kaya lang di ko kaya parang gawain pambabae. Pero kung talagang wala akong magawa sa kulungan, siguro magpapadala na ako (ng loom band sa kulungan),” he said.
“Kaya lang wala naman akong mapapagbentahan ng mga gang mates dun dahil inmates ko dadalawa lang…” he said in jest.
The two he was referring to were Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., his co-accused in the plunder case, a non-bailable offense.
But Senator Estrada’s mood would change whenever he talked about his youngest daughter, Jill. He said he was concerned about his 8-year-old daughter, who still sleeps with him.
“Sabi ko why are you crying? (Jill said) Are you going to jail..? She’s really crying,” the senator said.
“I don’t know, you can go with me naman. You can sleep naman with me kaso mainit ‘ka ko walang air-con,” he recalled telling his daughter.
Senator Estrada hopes that the authorities would allow his daughter to visit and sleep with him in jail.
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