MANILA—Former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada on Thursday conceded defeat in the senatorial election, but threw shade at his half-brother who was still vying for the 12th spot.

In a Facebook post, Estrada congratulated incumbent Sen. Nancy Binay, who was ahead of Sen. JV Ejercito by more than 230,000 votes for the final slot, based on partial and official results.

“You deserve to keep the 12th spot because you have a very big heart for the poor and you are the BETTER person among others. Congratulations my friend,” wrote Estrada, who was at 15th place.

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Before Monday’s elections, Estrada had described himself as the “better one” in response to a campaign ad portraying Ejercito as “the good one.”

Asked about his seeming reference to his half-brother, Estrada told ABS-CBN News: “Nanalo ba si JV? Bahala sila mag-isip.”

(Did JV win? Make of it whatever you want.)

Ejercito said Estrada’s criticism might have been “out of frustration.”

“Let him speak... It’s painful to accept that even in your own bailiwick you are unwanted,” he told ABS-CBN News, noting that Estrada placed 13th in their home city of San Juan.

“Let’s just understand the situation.”

Ejercito was leading Estrada by more than 2.9 million votes based on a partial, unofficial tally.