Senate President Franklin Drilon and 15 other senators on Thursday (March 12, 2015) appealed to the Sandiganbayan to allow Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce-Enrile to be detained at his residence in Makati City.
The letter, dated March 9, 2015, was initiated by Acting Senate minority leader Vicente Sotto III, and was submitted to the Sandiganbayan Third Division. The said court is hearing the graft and plunder case filed against the senator in connection with his alleged involvement in the P10-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund scam.
The other senators who signed the letter of appeal are Sergio Osmeña III, Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Nancy Binay, Gregorio Honasan II, Ralph Recto, Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Manuel “Lito” Lapid Jr., Cynthia Villar, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, Grace Poe-Llamanzares, Loren Legarda, Teofisto “TG” Guingona III, and Francis “Chiz” Escudero.
The five senators who did not sign the appeal are Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.
Enrile is under hospital arrest at the Philippine National Police (PNP) General Hospital.
Senators Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. are detained for the same charges and are in a detention facility at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.