IN our TV program over CCTN’s Channel 47 the other night, we received many text messages whose sending seemed orchestrated because it was made in the same evening that “ousted and convicted president” Joseph Estrada announced his candidacy for president. The text messages all welcomed Erap’s candidacy supposedly because he can restore peace in Mindanao.

Note that among presidential aspirants, Erap is among those who promised to give top priority to the restoration of peace and order in the country. Erap believes that with peace, the economy would prosper and thus by implication poverty would be solved with the poor having employment. It is a sound strategy to contain a pesky problem that has long bothered this country.

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But in the same breath, Estrada said that it is also his belief that legalizing jueteng would give the poor masses a good source of livelihood. He seems to think that jueteng, if legalized, would also be a boon to our economy as it would open opportunities for employment to a good number of people. Indeed, if the government of former president Ferdinand Marcos legalized cockfighting, why not do that to jueteng now?

I would leave it to the Church and churchmen to challenge Erap’s contention and find the loophole, if any. What I would like to point out here, though, is how the average voter would eventually take the Estrada presidency. I am curious about the measure of our people’s ethical values. How truly deep is their sense of right and wrong, their commitment to maintain a clear conscience, to protect one’s honor and self-respect.

How would the average Filipino here and those residing outside the country feel having someone who has been convicted of the crime of plunder sit as their president, even if he has been pardoned of the same crime?

The point is a matter of personal honor as a people. I do not know how our nation would look to the world whose high ethical values may not cotton to the reality of the Filipinos choosing an ex-convict as their president.

But then, perhaps we can hope that the world would look at the situation the other way around, such as looking at it as proof of how strong and well-embedded is the democratic ideology in our country. That we, as a people, want to prove the strength of our democracy by giving an ex-convict a second chance to prove his personal worth.

It may turn out that way, I do not really know. That is up to our voters if they are willing to take the chance. For my part, though, the stake is high, and I do not want to take the risk on Erap.