Jinggoy out of Du30’s ‘Magic 11’

President Duterte revealed today that he has dropped former Senator Jinggoy Estrada from his senatorial bets. He made the announcement at the campaign sortie of Mayor Sara Duterte’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan.

The president did not give specific reasons why he would not endorse Estrada. He further clarified that he only raised the hand and mentioned the younger Estrada in his speech in Albay out of courtesy.

PRESIDENTIAL daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio (middle in blue shirt) is flanked by Hugpong ng Pagbabago senatorial bets led by former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (fourth from left in red shirt). HANANEEL BORDEY “Nandoon siya eh. Alangan naman na hindi ko siya… Even for just one day masabihan mo na kandidato mo 13 lahat. What is that to a friend?” Duterte told reporters after the Bulacan sortie.

He added he knew the senator had suffered and had been imprisoned.

Estrada was jailed in 2014 for allegedly pocketing P183 million in kickbacks from fake projects in the pork barrel scam involving businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.

He was granted bail in a separate 2017 plunder case because the evidence, so far presented, does not point to him as a ‘main plunderer.’