FOLLOWING the Sandiganbayan’s ruling that allowed former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan to be placed on hospital arrest due to a long list of ailments, the camp of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is seriously considering availing the same treatment.
In an ambush interview moments after the arraignment, lawyer Noel Ostrea hinted on filing a motion to allow Senator Jinggoy Estrada to be placed on hospital arrest too because of his knee condition.
According to Ostrea, Estrada is suffering from osteoarthritis and effusion in his knee joint.
“I would like to stress that the senator, he didn’t want to raise this before as an issue,” Ostrea told reporters, adding that “we might have to because as you can see, even when seated in the Quezon City jail, he is already having a hard time.”
Estrada, who earlier attended the arraignment via teleconference, is currently detained in the New Quezon City jail in Barangay Payatas.
During the arraignment proceedings, Estrada requested Sandigan Presiding Justice Gerald Faith Econg that he be excused because of knee pain which he claimed recurs when seated for a long time.
“It’s his knee, when he sits for a long time,” Ostrea told the court.
Econg however insisted that Estrada stay online until the end of the proceedings.
During the interview, Ostrea also disclosed that the motion to transfer the custody of Estrada from the Payatas jail to the Philippine National Police custodial center, has already been withdrawn.
“We withdrew it in the 5th Division, and we intend to withdraw it here as well, because his family is able to visit him and he is already satisfied with the conditions of his confinement,” he explained.
Estrada is facing graft and non-bailable plunder cases before the anti-graft court’s 5th Division.
The 2nd Division previously entered a not guilty plea to the graft charge against Estrada who refused to enter a plea.
Arraignment for other plunder and graft cases in the 5th Division has been rescheduled to June 30, pending motion to quash charges against him.
