DETAINED Sen. Jinggoy Estrada suffered a knee injury inside the Quezon City jail and was taken to hospital as he was preparing for a scheduled knee X-ray on Wednesday.
His left knee snapped as he was preparing to go to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center while still inside the detention facility Wednesday morning, a jail insider said.
“He was just actually walking along the corridor when he suddenly experienced a knee problem,” the official said.
The detained senator’s office was said to have reported that his left knee snapped apparently due to his osteoarthritis, causing him to experience severe pain.
Records showed that the Sandiganbayan allowed the senator to leave detention for medical procedures at the San Juan City hospital.
The 63-year-old embattled lawmaker has been suffering from joint effusion in his knee joints and intermittent pain in both knees.
He was previously diagnosed with osteoarthritis, a degenerative condition that affects his mobility, according to the anti-graft court.
“Accused Estrada has of late been experiencing a flare up of persistent pain in both knees, making it acutely difficult for him to walk,” the Sandiganbayan said.
“His condition has been relayed by his wife [and] to his orthopedic doctor, Dr. Jose Fernando Syquia, who has recommended that accused Estrada undergo an X-ray procedure of both knees with four specific views to determine whether his illness has worsened,” it added.
Estrada is facing trial before the Sandiganbayan for plunder and graft over allegations that he received more than P573 million in kickbacks from government flood control projects from 2024 to 2025
The senator has repeatedly denied the accusations.
