Erap rates PNoy SONA 'passing' in his State of the City Address

Former president and current Manila mayor Joseph "Erap" Estrada gave President Benigno Aquino III a passing grade for the State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday.

 

"Passing, what is the passing? 5.9?," Estrada said after he gave his State of the City Address, GMA News' early evening newscast "24 Oras" reported on Tuesday.

 

However, Estrada expressed dismay at Aquino missing out key issues in his SONA and argued that the anti-corruption drive he touted was skewed.

 

Estrada's son, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, was not named in the latest SONA but was referred to when Aquino spoke of the arrests resulting from investigations by the Commission on Audit, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Department of Justice.

 

Senators Jinggoy, Juan Ponce Enrile, and Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. were charged with graft in connection to the P10-billion pork barrel scam uncovered in 2013. Jinggoy's arrest was ordered on June 23 in 2014.

 

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio B. Coloma Jr. said the palace respected Estrada's comments, but reiterated that all cases launched by various government agencies were based on solid evidence.  — Rie Takumi/ELR, GMA News