Former Senator Jinggoy Estrada was arrested yesterday for allegedly violating quarantine rules in the village of Salapan in his hometown of San Juan City, which has been placed under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
A former San Juan mayor, Jinggoy was nabbed because he was allegedly violating the rules set by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the country’s anti-COVID-19 task force while he was distributing relief goods, Mayor Francis Zamora, his political archrival, said in a statement.
“Mr. Jinggoy Estrada is not a person authorized outside his residence (APOR) thus having no authority roaming around the streets. Only persons allowed by the government are allowed to do this,” Zamora said.
“Next, one of the more recent directives of the DILG is for individuals and organizations intending to conduct relief operations in cities under ECQ to coordinate and secure a certification from the local government unit where the said activity will be held,” Mayor Zamora added.
Read: Former senator Jinggoy Estrada allowed to vacation in HK despite plunder case
However, Jinggoy allegedly “grossly disregarded and violated” the rules set by the government.
“Because for several days now, he has been conducting distribution of milkfish in different villages in San Juan— in an unsanitary manner with the fish not being put in any plastic or wrapper, possibly adding to the spread of the virus, wherein social distancing is not observed, wherein some people are not wearing masks and lastly, without the proper coordination with the local government unit,” Zamora said.
Despite belonging to a rival political clan, the mayor said Jinggoy’s arrest “has nothing to do with politics in San Juan, but has everything to do with law and order.” The mayor added that he even approved the permit for a mobile pharmacy, a project of former Vice Mayor Janella Ejercito Estrada, Jinggoy’s daughter whom Zamora defeated in the 2018 elections.
“Why can’t Mr. Jinggoy Estrada do the same? Why cannot he follow the law?” Zamora asked.
Earlier this month, the DILG said groups conducting relief operations have to secure a permit from the local government, reports Rappler. Should they fail to present a permit, they will be stopped by the authorities at checkpoints.
In an interview today with television talk show Umagang Kay Ganda, however, Jinggoy said there are non-government organizations (NGOs) and individuals organizing relief operations in San Juan which didn’t secure a permit from City Hall.
Read: Get gov’t permits first before organizing donation drives, Social Welfare Department says
“I was going around different villages in San Juan giving away milkfish when a [police] mobile car passed by in this village that I was in and invited me [for questioning]. I asked them what my violation was. They said I violated certain provisions of the enhanced community quarantine,” Jinggoy said in English and Filipino.
“I asked, ‘Which one?’ The one about social distancing, [the police said]. [But] you can see we were observing social distancing when I was giving milkfish to people. Second, they said I didn’t have a permit. [They want] a permit when we are in the middle of a pandemic and all I was doing was giving away milkfish. At the same time, there are a lot of Filipinos, private individuals, civilians like me, NGOs, organizations going around San Juan which don’t have a permit. So why ask me for a permit? Why single me out?” Jinggoy said.
No charges were filed against Jinggoy, but Philippine National Police spokesman Brigadier General Bernard Banac told CNN Philippines that they issued a “stern warning” against the former lawmaker before he was freed yesterday. The police also told him that he has to coordinate with San Juan City Hall if he wishes to continue giving relief goods to residents.
Jinggoy is facing a plunder case where he was accused of pocketing as much as PHP183 million (US$3.448 million), with the help of businesswoman Janet Napoles from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which is supposed to be used for various government pet projects. In 2013, the Commission on Audit released a report that allegedly showed Estrada funneling a percentage of his PDAF to fake non-governmental organizations led by Napoles. He is currently out on bail.
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