Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Friday cleared the air regarding a viral video of him ordering security to “hide” CCTV footage following a violent confrontation inside the Senate complex.
He maintained that his instructions were meant to preserve, not suppress, evidence of the shooting incident.
The issue surfaced after Estrada was overheard on a Facebook Live broadcast telling Senate security personnel,
“Itago nyo yung CCTV.”
Addressing the backlash, Estrada clarified that his directive to Acting Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca was purely for safeguarding the recordings for future inquiries.
“Why should I keep it from the public? Kaya nga itago for future reference kasi ebidensya yun. Ilabas natin yung ebidensya.”
The shooting occurred Wednesday night when a standoff between Senate security and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents turned violent.
The NBI were reportedly attempting to serve an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who had sought refuge within the chamber.
In a formal statement, Estrada emphasized that his words were meant to ensure the integrity of the investigation.
“Kung pagbabasehan ang real-time footage na kuha matapos ang shooting incident, malinaw na ang aking sinabi ay pagsang-ayon sa naging usapan na i-secure at pangalagaan ang CCTV footage na maaaring magsilbing mahalagang ebidensya sa insidente ng pamamaril.”
Estrada expressed willingness to coordinate with Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano to eventually release the footage to the public, insisting that “when the investigation comes, the CCTV footages should be released.”