Dismantling fixtures from vacated office an accepted practice in Senate, says Estrada's staff

Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google.

Dismantling fixtures and other materials from a Senate office previously occupied by a senator is an established and accepted practice, the staff of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said on Tuesday.

Estrada's staff issued the statement after videos posted online showed the office of the Senate President Pro Tempore, previously occupied by Estrada, stripped bare of fixtures, tiles, and other amenities.

"It must also be emphasized that similar instances of dismantling fixtures and materials from a vacated senator's office have occurred in the recent past," the statement read.

"This is neither new nor unusual — it is an established and accepted practice within the institution, and singling out this particular transition for scrutiny is both unfair and misleading," it added.

The office said Atty. Racquel Mejia, Estrada's chief of staff, informed the incumbent Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III, ahead of the October 5, 2026 deadline given to vacate, "that the fixtures, furnishings, and materials in the office would be brought along to the Senator's new office."

"Most of these items (e.g. floor tiles, glass panels, lighting fixtures, cabinets etc.) were acquired using personal funds, as the budget provided by the Senate was insufficient to cover all the expenses incurred," the statement read.

The statement said that reusing these materials in the new office reflects “prudence and efficiency, not controversy,” and noted that the matter has already been fully explained to the resident COA auditor.

Estrada also pointed out that when he first took over the office, he similarly found it completely bare, noting that this is an established practice in the Senate.

Estrada also pointed out that when he first took over the office, he similarly found it completely bare, noting that this is an established practice in the Senate.

“It is also worth mentioning, in the spirit of full transparency, that the said vacated office, when it was turned over to Senator Estrada in 2022, was likewise bare, following this same long-standing practice. Standard practice ito sa Senado at hindi na dapat ikagulat pa o gawin pang isyu,” the statement read.

(This is standard practice in the Senate and should not come as a surprise or be turned into an issue.)

“It must also be emphasized that similar instances of dismantling fixtures andmaterials from a vacated senator's office have occurred in the recent past,” it added.

In a post on X, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson refuted the claim that Estrada similarly moved into a bare and stripped office when it was turned over to him in 2022.

“I take exception to the statement pertaining to the state or condition of the same Pro Tempore office that I turned over to Sen. Estrada in 2022. Nothing was removed nor destroyed, precisely because government funds were used when I refurbished it when it was turned over to me,” Lacson said.

In June, Estrada was detained at the Quezon City jail after the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division ordered his arrest on non-bailable charges of plunder.

Since then, he has been unable to attend Senate hearings due to his ongoing detention. —NB, GMA News