MANILA - Senator Jinggoy Estrada has expressed confidence that he will be acquitted of the plunder and graft charges he is facing over his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam. Speaking to ANC's "Beyond Politics," Estrada said that while he as well as his two colleagues in the Senate -- Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. -- are being "demonized in public," he still has the support of the Filipino masses. Estrada, who is accused of conniving with alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles and plundering P183 million, said the masses believe he is innocent of all the accusations being hurled against him. "During my out-of-town visits, I go to my voters meaning yung masang Pilipino. They don't believe [the charges against me]. Sa mga probinsya, hindi sila naniniwala," he said. "May mga tao pang lumalapit sa akin, umiiyak. Labanan ko raw yung problema ko, huwag akong susuko," he added. The senator reiterated that he is ready to face the plunder case and 11 graft cases before the Sandiganbayan head on. He admitted, however, that the recent developments in the pork scam case have taken its toll on his family. "Malungkot. Hindi siya lagi mapakali," Estrada said of his wife, Precy. He also shared an instance when his 8-year-old daughter asked him if he would be going to jail, to which he answered "maybe." He said his daughter then told him that she would want to sleep with him inside his detention cell even if it would not have an air-conditioning unit. "Sabi niya, 'Never mind, as long as I'm with you,'" Estrada said. His parents, former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph "Erap" Estrada and former Senator Loi Estrada, always tell him to be strong and have faith in the Lord, he said. "Sabi ko naman, 'Don't worry. They have no evidence against me, mahina ang kaso nila. And I'm very confident that I'll be acquitted.'" Estrada, who is rumored to be running for the vice presidency in 2016, said he will never stop serving the Filipino people. When asked about his political plans for the 2016 elections, he just said: "Wala pa namang pagbabago sa mga plano ko."
