Published June 2, 2026 1:07pm + Add GMA on Google Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google. Malacañang on Tuesday said there was no obstruction of justice on the part of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano despite his tense exchange with Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla during the serving of an arrest warrant against Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Monday.Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro made the remark as she clarified that Estrada was arrested by authorities and did not voluntarily surrender.“Hindi naman siya obstruction of justice. ’Di naman niya itinago,” Castro said in a Palace briefing.(There’s no obstruction of justice. He did not hide Estrada.)“Nagkataon lang pinipigilan niya dahil siguro iniisip niya, siya ang Senate President at nasa lugar siya, at ang sinasabi niya ay this is not for Senator Jinggoy, but for the institution,” she added.(He may have been trying to hold things back because he likely thinks that, as Senate President, he had a role to play, and what he was saying was this was not for Senator Jinggoy, but for the institution.)The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Monday issued arrest warrants against Estrada and others in connection with P573-million plunder and graft charges filed by the Office of the Ombudsman.Estrada has denied the allegations.Members of the Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) served the arrest warrant against Estrada at the Senate, where Cayetano and Remulla figured in a heated exchange.Cayetano argued that Estrada should have been allowed to leave Senate premises first and be arrested outside.Remulla, however, countered that Cayetano had lost the privilege of extending such accommodation to a senator facing arrest, citing the earlier case involving Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who had been allowed to leave Senate premises under similar circumstances.—MCG, GMA News