Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Francis Pangilinan clashed Tuesday in the Senate over remarks tied to the high-profile Janet Napoles corruption scandal.
Estrada confronted Pangilinan during a plenary session, saying he would not let the senator’s earlier comments in a Blue Ribbon Committee hearing pass without challenge.
“Maybe if the Napoles cases had ended in convictions instead of acquittals, this bigger corruption scandal might not have happened,” Pangilinan said earlier in the day.
Estrada argued the statement, though not naming names, carried insinuations aimed at him and former senator Ramon Revilla Jr., who were both linked to the pork barrel scam.
“Let me put it on record. I faced the charges filed against me. I went through a long period of trial, imprisonment, and even the heavy stigma it brought,” the senator said.
“In the end, it was proven that the accusations thrown against me had no sufficient basis,” Estrada added.
He told colleagues he supports the Blue Ribbon investigation into questionable flood control projects but would not allow his name to be dragged into new controversies.
After Estrada’s manifestation, Pangilinan took the floor to deny that his comments were directed at any individual senator.
He explained that his remarks were made in the context of broader discussions on conviction rates and the judiciary’s handling of corruption cases.
Estrada, however, was not convinced and again pressed Pangilinan, questioning who he was targeting in his remarks.
He reminded the chamber that he had been acquitted by the courts and challenged Pangilinan not to cast doubt on judicial decisions.
The exchange grew heated as Estrada repeated that the insinuations were “obvious” despite Pangilinan’s denial.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson intervened and temporarily suspended the session to cool tensions between the two lawmakers.
