Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (; born February 17, 1963), also known as Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada or simply Jinggoy Estrada, is a Filipino politician, film actor, and producer serving as a Senator since 2022, and previously from 2004 to 2016. He was the

president pro tempore of the Senate A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

from 2007 to 2013, and as such, became the acting Senate President for the 47 days in 2013 between Juan Ponce Enrile's resignation and Franklin Drilon's election as the new Senate President. Before serving in the Senate, he was the vice mayor (1988–1992) and later mayor (1992–2001) of

San Juan, Metro Manila San Juan, officially the City of San Juan ( fil, Lungsod ng San Juan), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 126,347 people. It is geographi ...

. Estrada has been detained twice for corruption charges. In 2001, he and his father, ousted president

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...

, were arrested after being charged with plunder. He was released in 2003, elected to the Senate in 2004, and was acquitted in 2007. In 2014, he was charged and detained for allegedly embezzling from his discretionary funds in a scandal known as the

pork barrel scam The Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, also called the PDAF scam or the pork barrel scam, is a political scandal involving the alleged misuse by several members of the Congress of the Philippines of their Priority Development Assistance ...

. In 2016, he was released after being allowed to post bail. He sought reelection in the 2019 Senate election but lost. He ran again in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

and won a Senate seat. Outside politics, Estrada is also an actor like his father. He won the Best Actor Award in the 2007 Metro Manila Film Festival for the film ''Katas ng Saudi''. Senator JV Ejercito is his half-brother.

Early life and education

Estrada was born on February 17, 1963, in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. He finished his primary and secondary education at the

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic ( Jesuits) , academic ...

and earned a degree in A.B. Economics from the University of the Philippines Manila. He took up Bachelor of Laws for four years at the Lyceum of the Philippines University while serving as Vice Mayor of the then Municipality of San Juan at the age of 25. He was also bestowed an honorary Doctorate in Humanities in 2007 by the Laguna State Polytechnic University.

Political career

Mayor of San Juan (1992–2001)

In 1992, he became the youngest ever elected-local chief executive during the 1992 Philippine local elections at age 29. During his three consecutive terms as mayor, he spearheaded the construction of modernized barangay halls with daycare centers and various recreational areas such as gymnasiums, basketball courts and playgrounds. The renovation and repair of the San Juan National High School and other public elementary schools also took place, as well as the improvement and replacement of drainages, concreting of municipal roads, and the construction of the four-storey San Juan Medical Center and the San Juan Municipal Gymnasium. During his incumbency, San Juan gained the reputation of being one of the most progressive municipalities and the "most peaceful municipality in the Philippines". During his final tenure as mayor, he was sworn into office as the national president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) from 1998 to 2001.

Senator (2004–2016)

In 2004, he was elected as a senator. During his first term, he introduced at least 617 bills and resolutions and steered the passage of at least 16 bills either as a principal sponsor or principal author. Jinggoy is hailed as the second most productive and prolific senator, next to Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who filed the most number of bills and resolutions in the Senate. On July 23, 2007, Estrada was elected as

Senate president pro tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase '' pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being ...

. On August 15, 2007, the Supreme Court voted 13-0 to uphold Sandiganbayan's decision to grant his bail in connection with his plunder case before the graft court. His father, former president Joseph Estrada was the main accused in that plunder case and was subsequently convicted. However, Estrada was immediately pardoned by then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. On September 11, 2007, Estrada introduced Senate Bill 1556, proposing to make ROTC mandatory for all college students. Jinggoy was acquitted in the plunder charge. In 2010, he was re-elected as a senator, finishing in 2nd place. During the opening of the 15th Congress on July 26, 2010, he was re-elected as Senate president pro tempore. During his stint in the Senate, he had been consistently hailed as one of the very few senators who scored perfect attendance, with no absence or late during the chamber's plenary sessions.

Involvement in the pork barrel scam

Estrada is presently accused of another plunder charge at the Ombudsman relating to Janet Lim Napoles' pork barrel scam involving of the people's money. Two other senators— Juan Ponce Enrile and

Bong Revilla Ramon Bautista Bong Revilla Jr. (; born Jose Mari Bautista; September 25, 1966) and commonly known as Bong Revilla, is a Filipino actor, television presenter and politician serving as a Senator since 2019, and previously from 2004 to 2016. Th ...

—as well as more than two dozens individuals are charged with him. Estrada is accused of pocketing PHP183 million in kickbacks from fake projects. A report by the Commission on Audit of the Philippines was released on August 16, 2013, showing alleged misuse of funds by lawmakers who allegedly endorsed part of their congressional allocations to bogus non-governmental organizations. The accusations were the subject of a Senate probe that began later that month. The

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

of the Philippines filed its case against Estrada, Enrile and Revilla before the Ombudsman on September 16, 2013. On June 23, 2014, Estrada was arrested and detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City. The Philippine Senate on September 2, 2014 suspended Estrada from his Senate post for 90 days. On September 16, 2017,

Sandiganbayan The Sandiganbayan ( en, Support of the Nation) is a special appellate collegial court in the Philippines that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving graft and corrupt practices and other offenses committed by public office ...

anti-graft court released its resolution granting bail to Estrada. On February 22, 2019, Estrada filed a request for a demurrer before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, asking the court to deviate from established procedure and to allow him to challenge the sufficiency of evidence midway into the trial. In March 2019, the court granted Estrada and his co-accused 10 days to file their respective demurrers; prosecution was also granted 10 days to respond.

Batas Kasambahay

Estrada is the principal author of the Kasambahay Law, or the law promoting the interests and welfare of the domestic workers in the Philippines. Republic Act 10361, or simply the "Kasambahay Law", prescribed standards, privileges, and rights of the domestic workers.

Hong Kong Airport incident

In August 2010, Estrada claimed that while traveling to

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

, he experienced a backlash of the emotions surrounding the death of 8 Chinese nationals from Hong Kong during the 2010 Manila hostage crisis. According to him, as he passed through the immigration desk in Hong Kong, officers threw back his passport at him after checking it. Estrada said the officer may not have known who he was because he used a "regular passport" for personal travel. He also said that he "understood the pain being felt by many Hong Kong nationals".Jinggoy, Kris put up with Hong Kong rage
, August 28, 2010 According to ''

Apple Daily ''Apple Daily'' ( zh, link=no, 蘋果日報) was a popular tabloid published in Hong Kong from 1995 to 2021. Founded by Jimmy Lai, it was one of the best-selling Chinese language newspapers in Hong Kong.

'', the Hong Kong immigration department recorded that Estrada visited Hong Kong with a diplomat passport and that from an alleged video surveillance record, he and three other Filipinos were accompanied by staff from the Philippine embassy and had arranged to go through the privileged passage for diplomats. The immigration officer handed back the passport to the Philippines embassy staff, not to Estrada.

2019 Senate bid

Estrada ran for a comeback to the Senate in the

2019 Philippine Senate election The 2019 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 33rd election of members to the Senate of the Philippines for a six-year term. It was held on May 13, 2019. The seats of 12 senators elected in 2013 were contested during thi ...

. His half-brother, JV Ejercito, also sought for a Senate reelection. During the campaign, the half-siblings had a disagreement in the idea of them running at the same time. He was named to the Hugpong ng Pagbabago senatorial slate. However, he lost, placing 15th in the final tally, while Ejercito ended up in the 13th place, just a spot outside the winning circle. After conceding defeat, he wished that Senator

Nancy Binay Maria Lourdes "Nancy" Sombillo Binay-Angeles (born May 12, 1973) is a Filipina politician serving as a Senator since 2013. She is the daughter of former Vice President Jejomar Binay. Without any prior experience in government, Binay placed a bi ...

would make it over Ejercito, with both senators vying for the last spot in the partial and unofficial count. JV Ejercito responded by telling Estrada that he placed 13th in his own hometown San Juan, “Let him speak... It’s painful to accept that even in your own bailiwick you are unwanted,".

Senator (2022–present)

Estrada sought for a comeback to the Senate once again in the 2022 Philippine Senate election. He was named to the senatorial slate of

UniTeam Alliance The UniTeam Alliance is an electoral alliance in the Philippines formed to support the candidacies of Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte in the 2022 presidential and vice-presidential elections and their allies in the 2022 Philippine general el ...

and openly endorsed the candidacies of Bongbong Marcos for president and Sara Duterte for vice president. For the second straight time, his half-brother, JV Ejercito, also ran for senator on the same election. He won as the 12th placer, finally earning his third nonconsecutive term, while Ejercito was also successful as he placed 10th. Estrada Chaired the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development and the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation. In October 2022, Estrada made a statement wherein he was thinking of a proposal to ban all

Korean drama Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

s in the Philippines: "My observation is if we continue showing Korean telenovelas, our citizens praise the Koreans while Filipino artists continue losing jobs and money. So sometimes it comes to my mind that we should ban the telenovelas of the foreigners, and the Filipino artists who have great talent in acting are what we should be showing in our own country." Estrada clarified that he was only frustrated "that while we are only too eager and willing to celebrate South Korea's entertainment industry, we have sadly allowed our own to deteriorate because of the lack of support from the movie going public."

Personal life

On May 3, 2020, Estrada was arrested over alleged violations of the COVID-19 community quarantine rules. He said that he had been distributing relief goods to residents of the city when policemen in two patrol cars arrived at the scene and invited him to the local precinct.

Filmography

Movies

As actor

*''Markang Rehas: Ikalawang Aklat'' (1985) *''Paradise Inn'' (1985) *''Bagets Gang'' (1986) *''Isa Lang Ang Dapat Mabuhay'' (1986) *'' Sa Kuko Ng Agila'' (1989) *'' Eagle Squad'' (1989) *''Estribo Gang: The Jinggoy Sese Story'' (1992) - Vice-Mayor *''The Marita Gonzaga Rape-Slay: In God We Trust'' (1995) *''The Four Stooges'' (1995) - Adrian *''Wilson Sorronda: Leader Kuratong Baleleng's Solid Group'' (1995) - Wilson Sorronda *''Strebel: Gestapo ng Maynila'' (1998) - Strebel *''Ang Erpat Kong Astig'' (1998) - Joe *''Hiwaga ng Panday'' (1998) - Guiller/Panday *''Col. Elmer Jamias: Barako ng Maynila'' (2000) - as Col. Elmer Jamias *''Sagot Kita... Mula Ulo Hanggang Paa'' (2000) - Ador *''Walang Iwanan...Peksman'' (2002) *''Utang ng Ama'' (2003) - Don *''Katas ng Saudi'' (2007) - Oca *'' Magkaibigan'' (2008) - Ruben *''Kimmy Dora'' (2009) - audience member during Kimmy Dora's speech *''Ang Tanging Pamilya: A Marry Go Round'' (2009) - young Dindo *''Ang Tatay kong Sexy'' (2016) - Paquito *''Coming Home'' (2020) - Pre Production & Official Entry For 1st Metro Manila Summer Film Festival 2020

As executive producer

* ''Pepeng Agimat'' (1999) * ''Palaban'' (2000) * ''Col. Elmer Jamias: Barako ng Maynila'' (2000) * ''Eto na Naman Ako'' (2000) * ''Minsan Ko Lang Sasabihin'' (2000)

Television

* ''

Lorenzo's Time ''Lorenzo's Time'' is a 2012 Philippine melodrama television series starring Zaijian Jaranilla and Carmina Villaroel. The series aired on ABS-CBN and worldwide on TFC from July 2, 2012 to October 5, 2012, replacing '' Dahil Sa Pag-ibig'' and w ...

'' (2012) - as Himself

Awards

* Award of Excellence, Asusasyon ng mga Kumentarista at Anaunser ng Pilipinas, 1998 * Annual Young Achievers Award for Government and Public Sector, 1999 * Most Outstanding Government Service Award, Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation, Inc., 2011 * Lifetime Achievement Award, Gawad Amerika, 2012 * Men Who Matter, People Asia, 2012 * Distinguished Alumnus in Good Governance Award, University of the Philippines Alumni Association, 2013

References

External links