Jinggoy wants Senate hearings at Crame

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Jinggoy Estrada wants to conduct public hearings on labor-related measures at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

In a statement, Estrada said yesterday he hopes to conduct the hearings even while in detention so that he can still serve the people and earn his salary as senator even while he is facing plunder charges in connection with the pork barrel scam.

Estrada, who chairs the Senate committee on labor, said he will tap Sen. Nancy Binay to provide a quorum during the hearing.

Binay readily agreed with Estrada’s proposal although she has not received a formal invitation from her colleague in the minority group.

She, however, revealed in another interview yesterday that she visited Estrada as well as colleagues Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon Revilla Jr. last Christmas Day.

Revilla and Estrada are detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center while Enrile is under hospital arrest at the PNP General Hospital, both at Camp Crame.  

Since Revilla remains under preventive suspension, he cannot yet function as senator, unlike Estrada and Enrile.