Erap defends grandson Jolo from online hate on ‘lavish’ lifestyle

Former President and incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada came to the defense of his grandson, Jose Luis or Jolo, as the latter faced heat from netizens after photos of his allegedly lavish lifestyle surfaced online.

 

In a report on GMA News' Unang Balita on Thursday, the elder Estrada said Jolo, son of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, could afford to buy expensive items for himself since he also works part-time in show business.

 

The former Philippine leader, however, denied that their family owns a private jet.

 

Jolo is being criticized for the posh lifestyle reflected by the Instagram account he allegedly owns, joloestrada17, which boasted of photos including that of a pair of Louis Vuitton Montecarlo loafers (reportedly worth P20,000), the Presidential Suite of the Manila Hotel (a stay worth P100,000 a night), and chips from a high-end hotel and casino.

 

The photos, dating as far as 20 weeks ago, went viral as his father Jinggoy faced arrest and detention over the P10-billion pork barrel scam. Blogs that first posted about them compared Jolo to Jeane Napoles, daughter of alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, who became controversial in 2013 for photos and blog posts showing off her lavish lifestyle abroad. 

 

The Instagram account joloestrada17, which has 15 posts and 1,326 followers, has since been set to private.

 

A report on PEP.ph on Tuesday, however, said that it was a fake account. 
 

His real Instagram account, josephluisman, has 455 posts and nearly 14,000 followers, it added.

 

Jolo has not commented on the matter. However, a tweet with the same username was posted Tuesday night, saying: "Before you judge other people, try looking at yourselves in the mirror."

 

A photo of Sen. Estrada and his wife, Precy, on their 25th anniversary, was also posted on the said Twitter account:

 

— Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/RSJ, GMA News