De Lima getting same vilification ex-senators suffered in pork scandal —Jinggoy

Senator Leila De Lima appears to be suffering the same vilification former senators accused in the pork barrel scam suffered when they were investigated and eventually accused of plunder during De Lima's watch at the Department of Justice.

"Siguro na-experience niya 'yung na-experience namin noong araw na talagang siya mismo ang nagpupursige na halos siraan kami sa media, sa mata ng taumbayan. Bumalik siguro sa kanya ['yung ginawa niya sa amin]," Estrada said in an interview with reporters at the Sandiganbayan on Monday.

Estrada on Monday attended the scheduled pre-trial proceedings for the plunder and graft charges filed against him in relation to his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.

De Lima was the secretary of justice during the Aquino administration when the DOJ filed plunder charges against Estrada and former Senators Bong Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile.

De Lima, Estrada and Revilla are now detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center after the former was arrested for the drug charges filed against her.

Enrile was allowed by the court to post bail.

Estrada said he had yet to meet De Lima at the detention facility.

He made light of De Lima's claim that she was victim of political persecution.

"Paano siya magiging political prisoner? Abugado siya, hindi niya naiintindihan 'yun?" Estrada said.

De Lima said she had long prepared herself to be the first “political prisoner” under the current administration for her staunch opposition to the government’s violent war on drugs.

“I have long prepared myself to be the first political prisoner under this regime, because the criminal charges and prosecution are nothing less than a politically motivated act by the Duterte regime to clamp down on any vocal opposition against its support for a policy of EJK (extrajudicial killings) in dealing with suspected criminals,” De Lima said in a statement.

Estrada indicated that De Lima also harassed them during her time at the DOJ.

"'Yung sa amin ba, hindi ba niya kami hinarass noong araw? Araw-araw... for her own personal gain, to enhance her political ambition," Estrada said.

Estrada is facing plunder and 11 counts of graft for allegedly pocketing P183.793-million worth of kickbacks by allocating his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel to fake non-government organizations (NGOs) allegedly owned by businesswoman and alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.

Napoles, also on Monday, claimed De Lima tried to extort money from her to stop the reopening of the serious illegal detention case filed against her. —NB, GMA News