The trial of former Philippine president Joseph Estrada (People of the Philippines vs. Joseph Estrada, et al., 26558 Sandiganbayan, September 12, 2007) took place between 2001 and 2007 at the Sandiganbayan. Estrada, popularly called Erap, was ousted from office in 2001 during a popular uprising in Metro Manila after an aborted impeachment trial in which he was charged with plunder and perjury. Soon after his ouster, the same charges were filed against him at the Sandiganbayan. After a lengthy trial, the Sandiganbayan ruled Estrada not guilty of perjury while ruling him as guilty of plunder and sentenced him to reclusión perpetua. All of his co-accused was acquitted.
Estrada was convicted by the Sandiganbayan for plunder but Arroyo quickly granted him presidential pardon. A provision in the pardon stated that “Estrada has publicly committed to no longer seek any elective position or office.”
Estrada won the mayoral race over Alfredo Lim in 2013. Alicia Vidal, a lawyer of Lim, lodged a disqualification case against Estrada. Vidal argued Estrada should not have been allowed to run for mayor because he had been convicted of plunder during the Arroyo administration.
But Estrada’s camp also submitted a motion to dismiss the petition, saying Estrada was qualified to run for an elective post since he was pardoned by then President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo. For its part, Malacañang said it will respect the high court’s decision.
In this case, I think Erap should not be allowed running for any local position because he still committed a mistake. What kind of justice we have here in the Philippines if they will allow Erap to run again. Plundered can run for public office? So that means if Marcos is still alive, if he is pardoned by the presidents, he can run again for the office?
Maybe we are not too smart to run a government. Sometimes it’s not only corruption that keeps the country backwards. I cannot believe a former criminal especially a crime in corruption is allowed to run for office to begin with.
The granting of pardon by the president should be respected by the people, but I don’t believe that it is enough, that the clemency did not overturn the plunder conviction, don’t you? Erap is still a convict, a convict against the people of the country; pardon by another corrupt leader, Erap cannot escape the ground of disqualification from public office being a convicted plunderer. The pardon given to him by the court was absolute but does that mean he was never a plunderer? This decision does not take into consideration the spirit of the law. Erap is still a plunderer. He is still a convict. And no pardon can change that fact.
