Senator Jinggoy Estrada. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Invoking the same privilege granted to his father 13 years ago, detained ex-Sen. Jinggoy Estrada has requested the Sandiganbayan for a two-day furlough to join family festivities on the 80th birthday of former President Joseph Estrada on April 19.
Estrada reminded the antigraft court that his father, who was then detained while under trial also for plunder, was allowed out of detention for 36 hours so that the former president’s mother could be joined by her son during the celebration of her 99th birthday on April 28, 2004.
“This court can take judicial notice that it is a rare occasion for a person to be an 80-year-old person with all his family around him to celebrate the occasion,” Estrada said in his petition to the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division.
He asked to be allowed to leave his cell in the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame for 12 hours on April 18 to help in organizing the party, and from 5 p.m. on April 19 to 5 a.m. on April 20 to join the celebration, which he said would be held in Manila.
The former president was convicted of plunder on Sept. 19, 2007, and sentenced to 40-year imprisonment. He was granted pardon by his successor, now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Estrada was elected last year to a second term as mayor of Manila.
Senator Estrada, a coaccused in that plunder case, was acquitted.
In 2014, Estrada was charged with plunder for the alleged misuse of P183 million in pork barrel funds.
He has been detained in Camp Crame, Quezon City, since July 2014 along with former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. who is also being tried for plunder for the alleged misuse of P224.5 million of his pork barrel.