WHILE Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano may have successfully clinged on to his position as Senate President following a foiled coup, chances are he’d be facing more of its kind amid reports about Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s imminent incarceration.
This comes as the Department of Justice (DOJ) urged the Office of the Ombudsman to file plunder and graft charges against Estrada over alleged involvement in the so-called flood control scandal.
To date, Cayetano is banking on the 12 votes which effectively installed him as Senate President immediately after ousting Sen. Vicente Sotto III.
If the Ombudsman proceeds with the filing of the non-bailable plunder charges, Estrada could face immediate detention — a development that could reduce Cayetano’s effective voting bloc to just 11 senators.
Interestingly, Estrada isn’t the only ally who has earlier been recommended for prosecution: Senators Francis Escudero and Joel Villanueva over their alleged links to the flood control controversy.
Moreover, another ally, fugitive Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa may no longer attempt to set foot in the senate even as the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed the issuance of an arrest warrant against him.