Jinggoy agrees with Duterte's 'selective justice' remark vs. Ombudsman

Detained former senator Jinggoy Estrada on Monday agreed with President Rodrigo Duterte's remarks that Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has been dishing out selective justice in choosing which cases to pursue.

In an interview with reporters at the Sandiganbayan, Estrada said he and former senators Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile have been "portrayed as thieves in the government" when the Ombudsman filed criminal charges against them in relation to the multi-billion pork barrel fund scam.

Estrada said Duterte may have concluded that he and his colleagues were singled out in the cases since they were members of the opposition during the Aquino administration.

"Nung una ko napakinggan sa radyo ang sinabi ni President Duterte, sabi ko lahat ng sinabi ni presidente totoo," Estrada said after the first day of trial of his graft case at the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division.

"The president knows what he is talking about dahil being a prosecutor before alam niya, siguro nabasa niya ang aming mga kaso, talagang wala naman talaga. Pinili lang talaga kami kasi we were with the opposition in the last[administration]," he added.

Estrada complained other lawmakers also signed endorsement letters for projects using pork barrel funds, but only the three of them were charged by the previous administration.

In a speech last week, Duterte accused the Ombudsman of being selective on who to prosecute, saying she is "slow to act on complaints against the 'friendly' but quick to decide against perceived ‘hostiles.'"

Morales has denied Duterte's allegation, emphasizing that her office prioritizes high-profile cases.

Last week, Revilla also praised Duterte for his remarks on their case. "Nagpapasalamat tayo kay Pangulong Duterte at least na-oobserbahan din pala niya."

Estrada, meanwhile, appealed to the Sandiganbayan to grant his petition for bail since he has been in detention for more than three years.

"We still have a pending motion for bail before the Fifth Division of Sandiganbayan. It's still pending, still waiting for the resolution to come out and hopefully maaksyunan nila dahil lagpas tatlog taon na kami in detention. Sana naman maawa ang korte sa aming kalagayan," he said. —ALG, GMA News