Estrada seeks court’s permission to undergo more eye treatments

Jailed former President Joseph Estrada asked yesterday the Sandiganbayan to allow him to have post-operative evaluation of his eye operation at the Asian Eye Institute for two weeks.

In a three-page motion for leave filed yesterday with the anti-graft court’s third division temporarily chaired by Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, Estrada said that starting Dec. 19, he has to undergo post-operative evaluation every other day for two weeks.

"It is respectfully prayed that an order be issued allowing accused to leave his place of detention for purposes of said post-operative evaluation every other day for at least two weeks starting Dec. 19 and such other time as may be necessary to enable him to obtain complete medical solution to his eye operation and vision problems," Estrada, through his lawyer Cleofe Verzola, said.

Estrada, 64, underwent brief surgery at the Asian Eye Institute located in Phinma Plaza Building, Rockwell Center, Makati City, last Sunday where ophthalmologists Amadeo Veloso and Harvey Uy removed a cataract from his left eye.

The ousted chief executive was immediately whisked back to his detention in Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) after the 19-minute surgery.

Although Estrada and his doctors have declared that his eye operation was successful, Estrada’s doctors require him to undergo post-operative evaluation to ensure complete recovery.

In another development, Estrada’s son jailed former San Juan Mayor Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada also asked the anti-graft court to allow him to go home on Christmas day pending the court’s resolution on his twin motions for bail.

The younger Estrada, who filed a five-page manifestation through lawyer Rene Saguisag in reaction to the Supreme Court order for the court to resolve Jinggoy’s twin motions to fix bail until Friday, cited that the anti-graft court may not be able to immediately resolve the matter given its lack of permanent members due to the retirement of Associate Justice Ricardo Ilarde and the absence of its chairman Associate Justice Anacleto Badoy, who is presently on an indefinite leave of absence.

"A middle ground may be to grant Jinggoy a Christmas furlough while the bail matter is being further studied for definitive disposition against the possibility that he (Badoy) may really be all that sick, given the fact that his doctor said he is, which no doctor rebutted, and then have a full-blown non-hurried resolution after New Year," Saguisag said.

Saguisag said that it remained far from clear who will compose the third division of this Court "since without a permanent or regular membership, it is not clear who the Supreme Court can sanction if the deadline is not met."

"It is also awkward to have to see the Chairman of another Division being under, in effect, an acting chairman here who may be his junior, which is not the fault of anyone, and on top of his many other duties in his own Division which he chairs, he may now be sanctioned for not meeting certain deadlines," Saguisag said.

Saguisag proposed that the anti-graft court should revisit the defense panel’s recommendation of one hearing a week on the plunder case against the Estrada father and son to "enable all concerned to attend to this and other commitments with equal efficiency."

"This is Christmas time and no one touched by its lesson of compassion, should begrudge one with at least two infractions, this concession is sought and prayed for on bended knees," Saguisag said.

Saguisag noted that the Supreme Court has directed the anti-graft court to finish the trial of the cases of Mrs. Imelda Marcos within six months.