Monday, September 10, 2007 Mongaya: Erap verdict By Anol Mongaya Panahom
WILL the verdict on the plunder case against former president Joseph Estrada stir a political storm this week?
As of the moment, people are asking if he will be convicted. As I said in a past column, an acquittal is out of the question. I don’t think the courts will risk overturning the basis for this administration’s emergence with Edsa 2 in 2001.
Unlike Edsa 1 that led to a revolutionary government, Edsa 2 supposedly forced a constitutional change as a result of gross corruption that stirred the nation into another uprising.
When he stepped down from Malacañang, then president Estrada was deemed resigned making the assumption of President Arroyo as president legal under the present constitution.
If the court acquits Erap, what then can we make of Edsa 2 and the supposed constitutional change that it effected?
On the other hand, will conviction rouse Erap’s masa into another frenzied attack on the Palace? After six years and several failed attempts to force President Arroyo out of office, we might as well wait for 2010.
Even the efforts of Sen. Panfilo Lacson to revive the “Hello, Garci” issue or the live television coverage of the issuance of the decision will not fire Erap’s masa into massive action. Senator Lacson might as well refocus his fire on more recent issues like the ZTE deal.
In my view, the Erap conviction will bring to closure a turbulent chapter of Philippine history. With Erap out of the way and GMA becoming more a lame duck as time passes, the approach of 2010 will gain significance as a turning point for the country.
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The recent apprehension of luxury vehicles in a Mandaue bodega along with a huge haul of ukay-ukay shows that smuggling is alive and kicking in this part of the country despite pressure from the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG). According to a source who saw the haul, more vehicles were found compared to that NBI raid of Pat Jao’s yard during the stint of then district collector Billy Bibit. Kudos to PASG Cebu’s Ariel Palcuto.
This should be a loud signal to every player at the Cebu port to behave. Way trabaho o way bukolay?
But then, perhaps PASG could operate better if it solves the existence of powerful factions in Manila. According to a source, if one deals with A’s faction only, B’s group will hit you and vice versa.
Worse, one should also factor in the dynamics between the PASG bigwigs and that of LTO and DOTC.
I learned that legitimate car dealers in Manila prompted the current campaign against smuggled luxury vehicles. Though Cebu car dealers are making some noise, that’s it. It is just noise. They are even wary of meeting PASG’s Villar last week.
I understand their predicament, however. Local car dealers are businessmen and businessmen are not keen on picking fights with government officials. It’s not that they don’t have balls. It’s not good business sense. Besides, the grapevine is buzzing with talks that even a legit car dealer had a trabaho, right Ding?
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