.“some filipinos have grown so weary of politics they no longer care if joseph estrada is found guilty or not in his plunder trial. they just want to get on with their lives. others see the trial as a warning to future leaders that what happened to estrada could also happen to them. a few worry the verdict could spark another people power revolt.”
that was yesterday. today was judgement day and this morning a guilty verdict was handed down by the sandiganbayan court. few complained, most from the erap camp, his lawyers (expectedly), showbiz folk (expectedly) and some diehard fanatics. the silent majority nodded in acceptance.
whether we admit it or not, we have always known that former president joseph “erap” estrada is guilty of the charges against him. where would he get all that money to sustain a luxurious lifestyle for his family (with loi), his second family (with guia), his third (with laarni), and the next, the next, the next....(say when). the mansions, the cars. it was just a question of proof, of evidence and making it stick in court. well, in the opinion of the three judges, it stuck.
the media has been playing up the “presidential pardon for the sake of national reconciliation” angle for the past weeks in anticipation of a guilty verdict. fed by the administration perhaps. who knows. then this morning it was mentioned that a pardon may be granted if erap asks for it, to which the estrada camp scoffed. the former president has no plans of accepting, or even asking for, a pardon.
bahala kayong dalawa! let’s just get all of this over with and move on. no pardon? well then, go on with the appeal and consequently, if denied, then go to jail.
tapos!an abrupt grant of presidential pardon might send the wrong signal anyway. it may imply a lack of seriousness and political will on the part of the government to punish corrupt officials. maybe the best for this case to end is to follow the rule of law and let justice take its course. whatever the result may be, if justice is carried out fairly and objectively, it will eventually gain the respect of the pinoys and the rest of the world.
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