Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed on Thursday that he has initiated talks with Senator Jinggoy Estrada regarding potential arrangements should the anti-graft court order the lawmaker’s arrest.
The discussions follow a fresh wave of plunder and graft charges filed against Estrada over his alleged involvement in anomalous government infrastructure projects.
“(I) talked to him already,” Remulla disclosed to reporters. “I gave him options and he said he will think about it.”
While Secretary Remulla acknowledged presenting specific accommodations to the lawmaker, the DILG chief kept the details under wraps, declining to specify what those options entail.
The legal dispute hits close to home for the cabinet secretary, as the criminal complaints were formally lodged before the Sandiganbayan by the Office of the Ombudsman, which is currently headed by his brother, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla. The case implicates Estrada, former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and several others for allegedly pocketing kickbacks.
State prosecutors alleged that Estrada amassed roughly ₱573 million in rebates from government-funded flood control contracts.
Estrada has since fired back at the anti-graft body, blasting the “hasty” filing of the complaints and maintaining that the swift legal action severely compromised his constitutional right to due process.
The DILG, which commands the Philippine National Police, has not yet detailed how or when law enforcement will execute the arrests if Estrada rejects the undisclosed arrangements.
Currently, the Sandiganbayan has yet to issue formal warrants of arrest against the senator and his co-accused.