MORE House lawmakers have joined the call to allow Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile to be placed under house arrest while undergoing trial at Sandiganbayan for graft and plunder cases.
House Minority Leader Representative Ronaldo Zamora said that he personally favors house arrest for the 90-year-old former Senate President.
"I join the Speaker (Feliciano Belmonte Jr.) in his views. The aged veteran senator should be given the full courtesy not to be place in a regular jail," Zamora said.
He said he had worked with Enrile several times when he started joining politics and considering his age, he should not be place behind bars.
Earlier, Belmonte suggested to the justices of Sandiganbayan who will handle the cases of plunder and graft against Enrile and Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada not to put the former Senate leader behind bars.
For his part, Leyte Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said that although he personally favors house arrest for Enrile, he do not want the anti-graft court to preempt its decision on the issue.
"Let the Sandiganbayan decide on this matter. I personally favor this based on Manong Enrile's age, he should be given courtesy," the leader of the Independent Minority bloc said.
He said he also favors hospital arrest for Enrile.
Enrile, Estrada and Revilla are facing plunder and graft cases related to the alleged misuse of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
Aside from the three senators, their alleged cohorts, including pork barrel scam alleged mastermind Janet Napoles, were also charged with plunder and graft at Sandiganbayan. (Sunnex)