Jinggoy: JV Ejercito’s kontra-SONA has no blessing of minority senators

Detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Tuesday discredited the speech on the national situation that his half-brother Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito said would be delivered for the Senate minority next week.

 

Estrada, said Ejercito's kontra-SONA or the traditional response of the opposition to the President's State of the Nation Address, didn't have the blessing of the members of the minority bloc.

 

“I think he is doing it on his own without any authority coming from the minority bloc,” Estrada told reporters after the hearing on his petition for bail before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division.

 

Estrada, who's facing plunder and graft charges in connection with the pork barrel scam, is detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center together with Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. 

 

The 90-year old Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, also an accused in the scam, is detained at the PNP General Hospital.

 

The senator said Enrile does not have any input on the counter-SONA, as well as other members of the opposition in the Senate.

 

“Si Minority Floor Leader namin nakakulong din, walang input is Senate Minority Floor Leader Enrile, wala akong input. I don’t think may input si Senator (Vicente III) Sotto at (Senator Gregorio II) Honasan and Senator Nancy Binay,” he said.

The sons of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada have been at odds for some time now.

The situation turned for the worse after Ejercito signed the Senate blue ribbon committee report recommending charges to be filed against the three senators involved in the pork barrel scam.

 

On Monday, Ejercito said the minority bloc will be delivering a kontra-SONA to show the ‘real score’ of the country.

 

He said that he asked Enrile whether the minority bloc needs to present a kontra-SONA to which the latter replied in affirmative.

 

“Actually, I consulted Senator Enrile when I visited him, nung first visit ko sa kanya tinanong ko sa kanya kung sa tingin n’yo ba dapat magkaroonng kontra-SONA. Sabi niya dapat lang. It’s been four years and there was really no turno and contra because of the popularity of the President (Benigno Aquino III),” he told reporters Monday.

 

The relationship of Estrada and Ejercito turned sour recently after the latter signed the Blue Ribbon report recommending the filing of charges against senators linked to the pork barrel scam, including the former. —NB, GMA News