The Office of Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada on Tuesday, October 6, denied reports questioning the condition of his former Senate office, saying the fixtures and furnishings removed from the space were largely acquired using personal funds and will be reused in his new office.
The statement came after the sixth-floor office previously occupied by Estrada was turned over to Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente “Tito” Sotto III ahead of the October 5 deadline for its vacancy.
Estrada’s office said its Chief of Staff, Atty. Racquel Mejia, had informed Sotto’s office before the deadline that the fixtures, furnishings and other materials would be dismantled and transferred to Estrada’s new office.
These included floor tiles, glass panels, lighting fixtures and cabinets, among other materials.
“Not a single centavo of public funds was wasted,” Estrada’s office said.
The office explained that while senators are provided a budget for renovations, expenses beyond the allocation are shouldered by the occupant. It maintained that most of the materials in Estrada’s previous office were purchased through personal funds because the Senate-provided budget was insufficient to cover all expenses.
It also said the Senate would not incur additional costs from the transfer because the materials would simply be reused in the senator’s new office.
“In fact, the Senate will bear no cost whatsoever for office supplies and materials, as most, if not all, of those used in the previous office will simply be re-used in the new one,” the statement read.
Estrada’s office said the arrangement follows what it described as a longstanding Senate practice, noting that the office was also handed over to Estrada in 2022 in a bare condition when he first occupied it.
The senator’s camp added that similar dismantling of fixtures and materials has happened in other vacated Senate offices, arguing that the practice is neither new nor unusual.
The matter, according to Estrada’s office, has also been explained to the resident Commission on Audit (COA) auditor.
The controversy gained attention after Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson poked fun at Sotto over the condition of the newly turned-over office.
Lacson posted an AI-generated image on X depicting Sotto working in a dimly lit room with only a monobloc table, chair and gas lamp. He described the office as “barebones” and attributed its condition to the previous occupant.
“Binaklas kasi lahat ng dating occupant - from the floor tiles, walls and cabinets to the toilet fixtures and wall outlets - inubos,” Lacson said.
The office had previously been occupied by Estrada before it was turned over to Sotto, who assumed the position of Senate President Pro Tempore.
Estrada’s office, however, maintained that the dismantling was part of the normal transition of a senator’s office and was not an improper use of public resources.
It also pointed out that for the past four years, Estrada had occupied space on the sixth floor and only had an extension office on the fifth floor, unlike other senators who were provided full office spaces on the fifth floor.
The senator’s office appealed for the issue not to be politicized or sensationalized, saying the transition was a routine administrative matter.
“We respectfully appeal that this routine administrative transition not be unnecessarily politicized, sensationalized, or made into a manufactured controversy where none exists,” the statement said.
