Administration Congressman Prospero Nograles today clarified that the ongoing trial of the various plunder cases against deposed President Joseph Estrada will not be impeded should the Sandiganbayan would decide to grant his petition to undergo knee surgery in the United States.
The Davao City solon said that Mr. Estrada have already been arraigned so
there’s no reason for the Sandiganbayan to delay the proceedings even if he is
in the United States to undergo surgery.
“ The trial can proceed even without the physical presence of Estrada
because he was already arraigned by the Sandiganbayan. His lawyers are there to
represent him,” Nograles, a noted lawyer and a businessman before he entered
politics, pointed out.
In fact, Nograles said, the Sandiganbayan have issued a previous
resolution declaring that Mr. Estrada is not physically required to attend court
hearings.
Nograles added that as long as adequate security procedures are adopted,
there is no reason to be too anxious that Mr. Estrada might seek exile once the
Sandiganbayan allows him to leave the country.
He proposed that to make sure that Mr. Estrada will never get the chance
to escape government custody, one of those who should be assigned to secure him
while in the United States is PNP Central Luzon Regional Director Chief Supt.
Reynaldo Berroya, who is considered as one of the former president’s
staunchest critic.
“ I’m sure Col. Berroya would make the best escort for Mr. Estrada.
He will certainly make sure that Mr. Estrada will never escape his attention,”
Nograles.
Nograles, at the same time, clarified that there is no sinister effort by
Congress to let Mr. Estrada escape trial. Furthermore, he stressed that the
intent of the twin resolutions filed in the Senate and the House of
Representatives should be misinterpreted as an intrusion to the exclusive powers
of the judiciary.
“ Make no mistake about it. The
House of Representatives can never be an instrument to muzzle the rightful
course of justice because in the first place, it was the
House of Representatives which approved the impeachment case against Mr.
Estrada and I was among the signatories of the impeachment resolution against
him,” Nograles said.
The
only reason why many congressmen and senators signed the twin resolution is due
to humanitarian grounds and has nothing to do with politics.
“
At the end of the day, the Sandiganbayan’s decision about this will be the
only thing that matters and Congress will never attempt to question its wisdom.
I’m sure if in case the court rejects Mr. Estrada’s petition, there will be
no second resolution from any of us,” Nograles said.