President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has stirred a hornet's nest when she offered to give presidential pardon to deposed President Joseph Estrada. Estrada was convicted by the Sandiganbayan for plunder and sentenced to reclusion perpetua -- life imprisonment.
What happened in the past six years is like a zarzuela with La Gloria as the heroine and Erap as the villain. A lot of people, however, believed otherwise; that is, Erap is the hero and La Gloria is the villain. And that's what makes this zarzuela intriguing -- you don't know who the hero and villain are until the curtain falls at the end.
In Act I of "La Gloria and Her Enchanted Kingdom," La Gloria stage-managed the removal of Erap from Malacanang Palace. La Gloria's emissaries convinced Erap to take a "leave of absence" until his medical problem is cured. La Gloria graciously offered to fill in as Acting President until Erap recovers and takes the presidency back. Erap willingly agreed. After all, he needed a break from the jueteng payola the "Jose Velarde" scandals that have been hounding him incessantly. He was led out by the back door where a boat was docked at the Pasig River waiting for him.
On the day Erap left, with the head honcho of the military -- a former Erap loyalist -- by her side, La Gloria was installed as President by the Chief Justice. It was later announced that Erap had resigned. But before Erap could protest, he was charged with plunder, arrested, and jailed. The people celebrated La Gloria's ascendancy hoping that the country's malaise would soon be over.
In Act II, La Gloria 's popularity plummeted to 30% below zero. Shunned and disheartened, she decided not to seek election after completing Erap's unfinished term. Then came a knight in shining armor -- Sir "Dubya" from the faraway land of milk and honey -- who visited her in Malacanang, extolled her, and declared her as his partner in the War on Terror. La Gloria was ebullient. She was convinced that her fate was indeed written by destiny ( iginuhit ng tadhana ) and that she should run for President. She did and won. Almost a year later, another jueteng and the "Jose Pidal" scandals -- déjà vu --surfaced. The First Gentleman, "Figaro," and his son, the "Lion King," were implicated in the jueteng scandal. Right after that, the "Hello Garci" scandal came out which alleged that La Gloria cheated in the election with the help of Garci. The people revolted and demanded La Gloria's resignation. Garci went into hiding and "Figaro" and the "Lion King" went in exile to the land of milk and honey. La Gloria's government was on the brink of collapse. She was about to leave Malacanang to join "Figaro" and her son in exile when, lo and behold, the cavalry led by the indomitable hero "Tabako" came to her rescue. La Gloria survived the revolt and a few days later "Figaro" and the "Lion King" returned.
Intermission: Soon after the unanimous verdict was handed down by the Sandiganbayan, Arroyo said that she was considering giving an unconditional and absolute pardon to Erap. Unconditional? That's baloney! In my opinion, there are secret conditions attached, one of which could be the future of Arroyo herself. She knew that she would likely face charges of corruption -- or plunder -- when she completes her presidency in 2010. It would therefore be logical for her to negotiate a "prisoner exchange" with the opposition camp now. That is, Estrada's freedom now in exchange for Arroyo's freedom in 2010.
One of the red flags that a secret accord is in the making is Resolution 135 -- asking Arroyo to pardon Estrada -- which is authored by Sen. Manuel Roxas and passed by the opposition-controlled Senate. The resolution was also endorsed by Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, Jr. who is chairman of the United Opposition. Another supporter is Senate President Manuel Villar, Jr. In another development, Sen. Panfilo Lacson is supporting in principle an amnesty program proposed by Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. It is interesting to note that Roxas, Villar, and Lacson are three known "presidentiables" in the 2010 election. Is it fair to presume that should anyone of them become President they would give presidential pardon to convicted ex-presidents?
But the lone voice in the wilderness is that of Sen. Richard Gordon who issued a press release stating: "After taking the high road in bringing former President Estrada to trial and securing a conviction against him, the nation will be retreating to international ridicule and disrespect by cravenly trying to appease him with a presidential pardon - if certain officials and politicians have their way." He added that "for the Administration -- or certain officials of the Administration -- to be offering at this time a presidential pardon is wrongheaded and contrary to law… This is not the intent or spirit of the law, nor the meaning of justice being tempered with mercy. The verdict must first be applied before any idea of tempering it should be entertained. Above all, there must be some sense of contrition or remorse on the part of the offender before he can be considered eligible for pardon."
Gordon hit the nail right on the head. Indeed, what has been happening is a mockery of justice. In my opinion, President Arroyo has placed her hidden agenda over and above the law. Her misuse of her "presidential pardon" power corrupts the moral standards that the people expect her to live by and rule by.
Act III started with La Gloria nearing the end of her presidency. Erap has been pardoned and is now living in style in the land of milk and honey. La Gloria reminisces the ups and downs of her reign. Indeed, it was the roller coaster ride of her life. She realizes that as soon as she steps down from the presidency, she would likely face charges of plunder before the Sandiganbayan. She's hoping that the next President would be magnanimous and kind to her just like what she had been to Erap. She just can't see herself spending the rest of her life in reclusion perpetua. And like Sinatra's "My Way," La Gloria sings her swan song: "And now the end is near; and so I face the final curtain… Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew when I bit off more than I could chew. But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall; and did it my way." Yes, she certainly did it her way. She regrets, however, that her dream of an Enchanted Kingdom did not come true. "I've loved, I've laughed and cried. I've had my fill; my share of losing. And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing… The record shows I took the blows -- And did it my way!" Curtain falls.
(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)