'Pork' cases affected Enrile, Estrada, Revilla's Senate bids —UP prof

The plunder and graft cases filed against former senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Bong Revilla in 2014 have affected their rankings in the 2019 Senate race, a university professor said Wednesday.

Professor Jean Encinas-Franco of UP Political Science Department said the charges affected Revilla's image though he consistently placed 10th in the Senate rankings based on partial and unofficial count by Comelec's transparency server.

“Compared noong 2010, ‘di ba number 1 siya (Revilla)? So kahit papaano nakaapekto pa rin yung kaso and the way how some people responded to the fact that he’s still able to run,” Encinas-Franco said on GMA News' News To Go.

Revilla, Enrile and Estrada were slapped with plunder charges in 2014 over the P10-billion pork barrel scam. Of the three, only Revilla has so far been acquitted by the court. Enrile and Estrada's cases are still pending and both are out on bail.

Estrada, who placed second in the 2010 Senate race, is at 15th spot based on the partial, unofficial count, while Enrile, who placed fifth in 2010, was at 22nd spot. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News