BJMP: Estrada did not slip in jail, suffered knee pain while walking

Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) spokesperson Jail Supt. Jayrex Bustinera on Wednesday said reports that Senator Jinggoy Estrada slipped and fell while taking a bath at the New Quezon City Jail were “fake news.”

Bustinera said Estrada did not fall while taking a bath but experienced severe knee pain while walking along a corridor as he prepared for his hospital check-up.

“We deny that. That’s fake news. The truth is, he was walking, preparing for his court-ordered check-up. While walking, he heard a sound. It hurt, he felt it. And he had the doctor check him up. He was just being supported. Our doctor was also summoned to his court-ordered X-ray and consultation at an outside hospital. That’s the truth,” Bustinera said.

“Let me just refute it. First, he didn’t slip in the bathroom or whatever. He has a court order for a check-up at 11 a.m. today. That’s why we brought him in at 1 p.m. because his doctor wasn’t available this afternoon. While he was getting ready this morning, around 11:30 a.m., while walking, something snapped. He said he felt a click in his knee. Something snapped and it hurt a lot,” he added.

“The medical doctor, the BJMP doctor, was also there. And he was being supported. That’s right, because he has a check-up this afternoon to take him in and have that checked out. Before he was brought to the BJMP, his medical records included pre-existing records of a knee injury,” Bustinera said.

The BJMP spokesperson said Estrada’s check-up results would be released once the doctors’ diagnosis is available.

“His check-up is ongoing at the hospital. We will update because we are waiting for the final diagnosis or what the doctor’s statement is. But, that’s the initial one first to combat the fake news that has slipped out,” he said.

Bustinera also said Estrada would be transported back to the New Quezon City Jail once his medical check-up is complete.

In a three-page minute resolution, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, which is trying Estrada and four others for plunder and graft in connection with an alleged kickback scheme in flood control projects, allowed the senator to undergo a knee X-ray at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan on 26 August.

The Sandiganbayan said the lawmaker had recently been experiencing a flare-up of persistent pain in both knees, making it acutely difficult for him to walk.

His condition was relayed by his wife to his orthopedic doctor, Dr. Jose Fernando Syquia, who recommended that Estrada undergo an X-ray procedure to determine whether his condition had worsened.

The prosecution opposed the procedure, urging the court to consider allowing a portable X-ray machine or mobile X-ray clinic to be brought to the jail.