Estrada admits accepting P50-M ‘incentive’ after Corona conviction

Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada. NOY MORCOSO III/INQUIRER.net

MANILA,, Philippines – Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada on Thursday admitted that he accepted the P50-million “incentive” that was allegedly given to senators who voted to convict former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“I availed of it; it’s part of the infrastructure projects,”    Estrada said in a phone patch interview with Senate reporters.

“Kaya yung mga senador na sinasabi na hindi nila maalala, dapat  [check] yung kanilang mga files kung talagang meron talagang sulat na ibinigay sa kanila, in-avail nila ang projects o hindi nila inavail. Basta ako on my part, I availed of it…” he said.

(So for those senators who cannot remember, they should check their files and look for the letter that says they availed themselves of the projects or not…)

Estrada said Budget Secretary Florencio Abad should also check the records of his office to see who among the senators availed themselves of the additional P50 million after they voted to convict Corona.

He reiterated, however, that the allotment was not a bribe but an “incentive.”

“That was not a bribe because that came after the fact or after the conviction,” Estrada pointed out.

Asked if it was wrong to give P50-million incentive to senators, Estrada stressed: “I said in the latter part of the speech there is a flawed system already that’s why we have to fix the system.”

He said the executive could not always use the legislators’ “pork barrel” as bribe or reward when there is  a crisis  in the  administration.

This happened, he said, during the time of former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that was why she was not impeached.

“Noong panahon ng tatay ko, hindi niya ginawa yon kaya siya na-impeach. Ganoon lang yon. He did not bribe the congressmen. Hindi siya naglabas ng mga SARO (special allotment release order),”  Estrada said referring  to his father,  former  President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.