Senators may choose where to be detained—Palace aide

Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. may choose where they want to be detained while undergoing trial but they would first have to obtain the court’s consent, one of President Aquino’s aides said Saturday.

Palace spokeswoman Abigail Valte said there was nothing to stop the three from filing motions in the Sandiganbayan indicating their choice of detention place.

The senators are facing plunder and graft charges for allegedly pocketing millions of pesos diverted from their pork barrel or the congressional Priority Development Assistance Fund which the media now refer to as the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

“They can file a motion. Nothing will stop them from doing that, but it’s the court that will decide where they will be detained,” Valte said over the government-run dzRB radio in the course of commenting on Enrile’s petition for bail.

Valte declined to comment, however, on observations that his petition seemed to contradict an earlier declaration of his readiness to go to jail.

“It will be up to the division hearing his case on how to consider the factors that he has raised, mainly based on his age and on his health,” she said.

The Sandiganbayan raffled off the cases against Revilla, Enrile and Estrada to the first, third and fifth divisions, respectively, on Friday.

Under the Sandiganbayan’s rules, a division issues a warrant of arrest upon determining probable cause to proceed with the trial, a process that could take 10 days.

Shortly after Friday’s raffle of the cases, the three senators petitioned the anti-graft court to dismiss the cases against them. The 90-year-old Enrile also filed a petition for bail, citing his age and his various ailments.

Speaking to reporters in the Senate earlier this week, Enrile said he had packed his bags and was ready to go to jail.

Enrile faces one count of plunder and 15 counts of graft; Estrada one count of plunder and 11 counts of graft, and Revilla one count of plunder and 16 counts of graft.

Businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, who allegedly orchestrated the scam through dummy foundations and her high connections in government, is a co-accused of the senators in the plunder and graft charges.

Also indicted for plunder with the senators were members of their staff, Budget Undersecretary Mario Relampagos, former members of the House of Representatives, government executives and staff members.

Estrada and Revilla, who bade their colleagues goodbye in privilege speeches earlier this week, tried to make light of their predicament.

“I don’t need to pack because I live near Camp Crame (the Philippine National Police headquarters),” Estrada told reporters by phone Friday, chuckling. He said he had brought home chocolate bars from his Senate office lest the rodents feast on them.

Revilla, who was skewered by Netizens for singing his original song, “Salamat Kaibigan” toward the end of his speech last Monday, said: “After this is over, I’ll have a second career.”

“We should not take things seriously, lest we suffer a heart attack. But the song is my expression of gratitude to my supporters,” he added.

Both have expressed readiness to be jailed.

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