Palace says Duterte’s meeting with Enrile a ‘social call’

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella on Thursday said that the meeting of President Rodrigo Duterte with former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile was only a social call.

“Meeting with Enrile was a social call. The senator gave books to the President and discussed current developments in the country,” Abella said.

“It was a brief and cordial meeting capped by a photo opportunity,” he added.

The meeting happened two weeks after Solicitor General Jose Calida sought a reversal of Janet Napoles’ conviction for serious illegal detention for lack of evidence, calling it “injustice.”

In 2015, Napoles, the alleged brains behind the P10-billion pork barrel scam, was convicted by Judge Elmo Alameda of Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 150 and sentenced her to a jail term of up to 40 years on charges of serious illegal detention filed by Benhur Luy, her cousin and trusted aide.

READ: What Went Before: Serious illegal detention charge vs Napoles

Enrile thanked Duterte for agreeing to meet with him in Malacañang on Wednesday.

“Thank you for giving this honor and privilege to meet you,” he said.

The 92-year-old politician was placed under hospital arrest in July 2014 for allegedly spending millions of pesos of his pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) on ghost projects and taking kickbacks.

Two others—Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla—were also ordered arrested on charges of plunder, a nonbailable offense, and have remained in jail.

Enrile is currently out on bail after the Supreme Court in August 2015 freed him on “humanitarian considerations.” JE/rga