Revilla sends best wishes to Jinggoy

Christmas is a season for love and Sen. Ramon Revilla wants to express his love and concern for former presidential son Jinggoy Estrada who is now suffering from a heart ailment and is detained at the Philippine Veterans Hospital on charges of plunder.

"I want Jinggoy to know that I feel deep concern for his condition despite his misunderstanding with my son," Revilla told The STAR.

Revilla’s son, former Cavite Gov. Bong Revilla, had a falling out with his best friend Jinggoy after Bong supported the impeachment move against former President Joseph Estrada.

"I am not at all concerned with Jinggoy’s misunderstanding with my son. I feel sympathy for him because he is almost like a son to me and I know what he feels," Revilla stressed.

He said that just like Jinggoy, he also has a heart ailment and he knows that this is a very treacherous disease that could snuff out one’s life any moment.

"I hope Jinggoy would be able to get bail so he could spend the Christmas season with his loved ones," Revilla said. "I don’t believe he has committed a grave offense, but the matter of bail is for the court to decide."

He explained that he is speaking not as a senator but as one who had been very close to Jinggoy. He added that while Jinggoy and Bong are no longer as close as before, his daughter Andrea and Jinggoy’s wife Precy remain bosom friends.

When asked if he would also want the former President to have a Christmas leave, he was stumped for a while, then replied: "Iyon namang sakit ni Erap eh sa tuhod lang. Hindi iyon life-threatening katulad ng sakit ni Jinggoy. At saka wala akong sakit sa tuhod (The ailment of Erap in his knees is not life threatening — and I don’t have any ailment in my knees)."