SENATOR Jinggoy Estrada, currently in detention, has formally retracted his request filed with the Sandiganbayan Second Division asking for permission to be present at the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The withdrawal, however, was described as purely procedural, as Estrada’s legal team clarified that the document was mistakenly submitted to the wrong court division. They explained that the request was actually intended to be filed with the Fifth Division, the branch handling his ongoing plunder case.
In a resolution dated July 1, the anti‑graft court’s Second Division confirmed that it had received notice of the withdrawal. The motion, titled “Motion to Allow Accused Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada to Attend the Senate Impeachment Trial [of] Vice President Sara Duterte‑Carpio,” was originally filed on June 30. The court ruled that the withdrawal was in order and officially considered the request withdrawn. The Second Division currently handles a separate bailable graft case against Estrada, for which he has already posted a ₱90,000 bail bond.
Estrada faces a more serious plunder case before the Fifth Division, stemming from allegations of irregularities involving ₱573 million in infrastructure funds under the Department of Public Works and Highways for fiscal year 2025. State prosecutors claim the funds were misused through illegal budget insertions and project allocations, though the senator has consistently denied all accusations. The resolution only came to public attention on Thursday, with the court’s clerk of court confirming its authenticity.
As a senator‑judge, Estrada would have been eligible to participate in deliberations and voting to decide whether to convict or acquit Vice President Duterte. A conviction would result in her removal from office and permanent disqualification from holding any government position—an outcome that could also affect her earlier announcement of plans to run for president in the 2028 elections. The procedural correction now means the matter will be raised before the proper division, leaving his participation in the trial still pending a correct filing and decision.
metrosundaily
