The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday clarified that it will be up to the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) to decide whether Senator Jinggoy Estrada can leave the country during Holy Week.
The statement came after reports that Estrada sought permission from the Sandiganbayan to travel for a “personal trip,” despite a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) issued against him by Manila RTC Branch 52 in February.
DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez said the judiciary has jurisdiction over the matter.
“That’s an issue that has to be resolved by the judiciary. We presume that the Manila RTC acted with jurisdiction in the issuance of the PHDO. The PHDO is a court order. As a court order, it can be revoked by order of the same court that issued it,” Martinez explained.
Martinez added that the DOJ maintains its position that Estrada “is a flight risk and must not leave the country,” stressing that the agency will oppose any motion to lift the PHDO.
“Yes, kung saan po na file ang motion. If and when the Sandiganbayan orders us to comment,” he said.
Estrada, along with several Department of Public Works and Highways officials, including former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, has been charged with plunder before the DOJ by the National Bureau of Investigation in connection with alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
The case underscores the tension between judicial discretion and prosecutorial concerns over potential flight risks in high-profile corruption cases.