Ombudsman inspects vacated office of Jinggoy Estrada

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Representatives from the Office of the Ombudsman inspected the office vacated by Senator Jinggoy Estrada, according to a GMA News report, quoting Senate Secretary Renato Bantug.

“I was informed of the Ombudsman inspection yesterday and of the GSIS ocular the other day," Bantug said.

He added that he did not receive a request from the Commission on Audit for an inspection, but the Commission asked the Senate to clarify the chamber's policies on such matters.

On Monday, the office was seen bare and stripped of furniture, sockets, and tiles.

Senator Vicente Sotto III was supposed to take over the room after replacing Estrada as Senate President Pro Tempore.

The room was missing most of its floor tiles, and there was no furniture such as tables and chairs.

Also noticeable were exposed and hanging electrical wires and the removal of wall sockets throughout the office.

The office’s comfort room was also stripped of tiles from the ceiling, walls, and floor, while the shower and toilet bowl had been removed as well.

In response, Estrada's staff said dismantling fixtures and other materials from a Senate office previously occupied by a senator is an established and accepted practice.

"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," Estrada's office said.

"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.

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. —LDF, GMA News