After a loooooong hiatus due to my disillusionment and disenchantment with the results of the senatorial elections, the ascerbic East Bay Pinoy expatriate is back online! Hold the applause and insults please.
The Philippines found itself back in the international limelight yesterday by doing something that no other government in recent memory has done: convicting a former president for the crime of plunder…again another unique crime under the Philippine criminal and justice system.
This is a breath of fresh air…This is what I would call a “national milestone” for the country. Sad to say, the Philippines have never been known for digging its heels and sticking to its principles. We have countless examples of rescinded business deals and awards, legislation repealed, convictions overturned, proclamations deemed unconstitutional…Let’s face it, we lack political will.
Not anymore…We have convicted Joseph Ejercito, a former President of the Republic, for the crime of plunder and sentenced him to reclusion perpetua.
We have finally learned the lessons of history (we let Marcos, Imelda and their mobster family get away with murder as well as our millions), conquered our bleeding heart culture (“Let’s pardon him…He has suffered enough…Kawawa naman siya…Malabo na ang mata at may problema pa sa tuhod…”), controlled our security paranoia (“Siguradong mag-aalsa ang mga kampon ni Erap kagaya nina Binay, Lacson, Rez Cortez etc. para ibagsak ang gobyerno…”) and basically said that NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW…
“Fiat justitia ruat caelum…(Let justice be done though the heavens fall…)”
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Consistent with the typical Filipino trait of blaming everyone but himself…Erap blamed everyone except himself for his dilemna. Vitriol spewed forth from his mouth against Malacanang, Luis “Chavit” Singson and the elite/educated class.
He is now saying that he gambled on getting justice from the Sandiganbayan as he will never get justice from the impeachment trial. A gamble which he lost. These statements don’t make sense. Consider the following:
- Erap was NEVER impeached by the Senate. Recycle your neurons now…The trial was progressing with the Senate as the impeachment tribunal. However, Erap’s minions used their numbers in ensuring that the second envelope’s contents will never be known. FLASHBACK: Oreta doing the tribal “Dance of Joy”…Osmena smiling like the cat that ate the pink canary…Legarda crying like a banshee then but supporting Erap like a heart-lung machine now…Pimentel choking up and explaining his vote for opening the envelope then but leading the “Restore the Erap Monarchy Movement” now…So the statement that he will never get justice from the impeachment trial is baloney! He rigged the trial so that he will not be convicted.
- Erap’s legal team blew it. They were pandering to the media and to the bleeding heart populace when the real battle is inside the court room. The old fogeys think that the media will judge their client…BIG MISTAKE. Flaminiano and Saguisag blew it big time. Singson said it so eloquently: “…They should look at their own lawyers, especially Rene Saguisag. He is just bad luck, he has never won a major case in his life. Our prosecutors did their homework while they resorted to publicity stunts. Saguisag argued his case in media rather than in court, so why should they wonder if the justices voted unanimously?…” Chavit can really say the darnest things and still make perfect sense…
- Erap was not able to destroy the credibility of the key witnesses. Clarissa Ocampo basically said that Erap was Jose Velarde and Saguisag and his minions could not destroy or shake her testimony. Other witnesses were also pretty solid in their testimonies. Instead of refuting the statements or presenting evidence to the contrary, Erap’s lawayers used the “our-client-is-the-victim-of-a-conspiracy” card time and time again…
- Erap didn’t quit while he was ahead…Instead of fleeing the coop, he was left holding the bag of rotten eggs. Where are his minions now? Charlie “Atong” Ang fled to the U.S., was captured and turned state’s witness against him. Lucio Co has vanished into thin air. Same goes for Dante Tan (of BW fame) and Jaime Dichaves. Mark “The Business Genius” Jimenez is doing some weird stuff right now and has become quite creepy after his U.S. incarceration.
- Erap is the prosecution’s best witness….He basically buried himself…He admitted he was Jose Velarde. He said that he was using that name to help a friend (which in itself is a potential crime). He said that some of the money came from jueteng. The litany goes on and on…Talk about shooting yourself in the foot using your mouth! Or maybe he thinks that the Sandiganbayan is a movie set where he could use his screen persona “Diegong Daga” to weasel his way out of a conviction?
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As this is a high-profile case, the focus of attention is centered around the disgraced former President. Unbeknownst to most of us, the trial wouldn’t have reached this stage without the dedication and hard work of the prosecution team led by Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio. The team is composed of Deputy Special Prosecutors Robert Kallos, John Torralba, Raymond Julio Olaguer and Humphrey Monteroso. This also includes former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo who started the whole thing off driving the case against Estrada. These guys have slaved for years preparing and presenting the case while dodging immense political pressures (and getting paid the paltry government rate at that). Some of them even threatened to resign out of principle if the court will succumb to Estrada’s whims.
Gentlemen: The Filipino people owe you a debt of gratitude which could never be repaid. Maraming salamat at mabuhay kayong lahat…
