Jinggoy Estrada complains of worse shoulder pains while in jail

By: Marc Jayson Cayabyab - 10 years ago

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. POOL PHOTO (file)

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada is happy that the Sandiganbayan granted his request to go to the hospital for a check-up of his left shoulder pain, which he claimed was worsened while in detention after being indicted for plunder over the pork barrel scam.

“I am experiencing pain on my left shoulder… This has been going since last year. It worsened when I was in jail,” Estrada said as he attended his bail hearing at the Sandiganbayan on Monday.

The anti-graft court’s fifth division hearing Estrada’s case on Monday announced in open court that it granted Estrada’s request to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City.

The state prosecuting panel did not oppose Estrada’s motion.

“Don’t worry, it will only take only two to three hours. I would like to thank the members of the prosecution panel for not opposing my going to the hospital. And I would also like to thank the court for granting such request,” Estrada said.

The senator is scheduled to undergo the MRI this Wednesday morning.

Citing security risks, the court had junked the prosecution’s move to transfer Estrada from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center, where he is detained, to a regular jail in Camp Bagong Diwa.

The Sandiganbayan’s third division hearing Senator Juan Ponce Enrile’s pork scam case, meanwhile, had also allowed Enrile’s resigned chief of staff Atty. Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes to undergo a brain scan following her head injury due to a panic attack.

Senators Estrada, Enrile and Ramon Revilla Jr. face plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan for their alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam, the alleged diversion of the senators’ Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) to ghost projects for kickbacks under the scheme of accused mastermind and co-accused Janet Lim-Napoles.

Revilla and Estrada are detained at the PNP Custodial Center, while Napoles and Reyes are locked up at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)-administered jail in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig. Meanwhile, the 90-year-old Enrile is confined at the PNP General Hospital under police custody pending his motion to be placed under hospital detention.