Wednesday, September 12, 2007 Wenceslao: An Erap conviction a cause for joy By Bong O. Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
MY mother-in-law Magdalena Tirad Jaca was one whose zest for life and faith in God was infectious. Thus when she died Sunday night, we thought life was unfair. Her struggle with the Big C that ravaged her lungs made us a witness to how she deteriorated from an energetic and happy woman to a fragile shell of a human being.
Mama Bebe’s family was among those swept by the Pinoy version of the diaspora. But her three sisters, all US-based (her brother failed to make it here because of work commitments), were there at the hospital where she breathed her last. Mama Bebe will be buried at the Pardo cemetery at 2 p.m. this afternoon.
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Should we worry about the unrest that may erupt if the Sandiganbayan convicts former president Joseph Estrada for plunder? A yes for an answer would be unfortunate because if the conviction is deserved joy and not fear should be the dominant feeling. It will be historic: Erap will be the first real big fish snagged by our justice system.
Promulgation will be today, with the Sandiganbayan and the police focusing too much on media restrictions and security. These concerns tended to overshadow the analysis of the evidence and witnesses presented when the case was heard—meaning, substance. Worse is the attempt of the opposition to reinterpret the Erap presidency.
And there’s this talk that coup plotters will use promulgation day to launch another attempt at a power grab. Indeed, there could be a link to the reopening by the Senate opposition bloc of the “Hello Garci” probe with the possible Sandiganbayan decision to convict Erap, although I would say plotters will be flailing at the moon.
Any coup try will, of course, rely heavily on the supposed short memory span of Filipinos. Even if Estrada’s ouster only happened in 2001, there are tall-tale signs that the twisting of some facts has succeeded. In the past election, for example, the Senate opposition slate won with Erap as one of its campaign finaciers and endorser.
Unlike many other Pinoys, however, I consider my memory sharp with regards to obvious presidential misrule. I haven’t forgotten the abuse and the corrupt ways of the administration of then president Ferdinand Marcos. No way will my recollection of the incompetence and the gangsterism of the Estrada administration be muddled by time.
I would therefore be among those who will heave a sigh of relief once Erap is convicted. The problem with this, however, is the implementation of the punishment. Consider what happened with Erap’s jailing. The setup eventually loosened up until the Sandiganbayan finally decided to place the former president under house arrest.
Everybody knows that even if Estrada is convicted of plunder he will be pardoned by President Arroyo mainly in recognition of the political power he still wields. The conviction, in short, will only be in name. And it will be a grim reminder to what our justice system has been described: like a spider web that only catches small flies.
