Sen. Estrada asks Sandiganbayan to conduct hearing on priority bills while in detention

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. Photo courtesy of Estrada’s Facebook page.

MANILA — Detained Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada asked the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Monday to allow him to conduct hearings on important bills, being the chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development.

Estrada’s lead counsel Jose Flaminiano filed a motion before the anti-graft court to permit his client to continue performing his legislative duties as lawmaker and panel chairman aimed at expediting the lawmaking process.

“Senator Estrada has no intention of shirking from his duty as a senator and as chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development. Neither would he allow himself to be the cause of any delay in enacting the priority bills,” the seven-page motion read.

Estrada, who is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center, is facing plunder and multiple graft cases for allegedly pocketing P183-million in pork barrel funds.

The camp of Estrada said it is up to the sound discretion of the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division to decide the place of the hearings.

“Estrada respectfully prays that the committee be allowed to conduct its hearings at the Camp Crame detention facility or such other place as the honorable court may find suitable and appropriate,” it said.

The motion explained that at least 168 bills have been pending before Estrada’s committee, including 12 proposed laws that need immediate deliberations.