Jinggoy’s Senate office stripped before turnover
Senator Vicente Sotto III found his new Senate office stripped of fixtures, including tiles and electrical sockets, after Senator Jinggoy Estrada vacated the space. The condition of the office has sparked controversy as it is considered government property.
Why it matters
The incident highlights administrative disputes and questions regarding the treatment of public office facilities in the Philippines.
MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Vicente Sotto III was supposed to move this week into the office of the Senate president pro tempore, which was occupied by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
There was no office to move into yesterday, however, as the space had been stripped bare, with Estrada's office not coordinating about it with Sotto.
A staff from Sotto's office told The STAR they were surprised by the removal of even the tiles, toilet fixtures and electric sockets, leaving the office of the Senate's second highest post looking like a construction site.
The staff said the "usual practice" is just to clear the furniture and not "damage" the floor and walls, since the Senate was only renting a portion of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) building.
Permanent fixtures such as electric sockets are GSIS property, they said.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in