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Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Estrada appeals for unconditional pardon
MANILA –- Former President Joseph Estrada on Monday appealed to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to grant him “full, free, and unconditional pardon.”
The appeal was contained in a three-page letter to Arroyo by Estrada’s defense panel and was signed by lawyer Jose Flaminiano. It was dated October 22.
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Acting Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera announced Estrada’s appeal Monday in Malacañang.
“In the highest national interest, to which President Estrada is always willing to subordinate his own, we appeal to Your Excellency to grant him full, free and unconditional pardon,” the letter stated.
Flaminiano said the defense panel has withdrawn Estrada’s motion for reconsideration before the Sandiganbayan.
He said the “consensus” of the defense panel is that “there is a very slim chance that the Sandiganbayan will reconsider its original guilty verdict” because Presiding Justice Teresita de Castro has been quoted in a media interview as saying the anti-graft court’s Special Division “stands by its original verdict.”
He warned that a denial of the motion for reconsideration would lead to an appeal before the Supreme Court (SC) and Estrada’s transfer to the National Penitentiary, which may generate bad feelings on the part of many Filipinos, which would be “disastrous for the nation.”
“Our Republic needs recovery, not revenge,” said Flaminiano.
He also warned Arroyo that: “No other issue could compete with the drama of a former President detained in the National Penitentiary serving a life sentence. It will be virtually impossible for Your Excellency to direct public attention to anything else.”
The defense lawyer said the entire appeal process in the SC may take more than 10 years. He said although the defense panel is confident of getting a reversal, “an acquittal after more than 10 years in detention is unjust.”
“The time has come to end President Estrada’s fight for justice and vindication before the courts. President Estrada himself believes that appeal to the Supreme Court would be futile for even the possibility of a favorable judgment will not justify several more years of detention,” he said.
Flaminiano added that Estrada’s ouster from the presidency and humiliation “was a severe punishment in itself and may be equivalent to serving a long jail term.”
“He (Estrada) deserves sympathy, compassion, and understanding. He is now 70, has borne suffering with grace and dignity, and despite not being in the best of health always,” he said.
Flaminiano said Estrada often worries about the condition of his mother, 102-year-old Doña Mary Ejercito, whose health deteriorated when the former President was ousted.
He added: “Knowing that he (Estrada) is a free man should be one of the last thoughts a recuerdo she (Doña Mary) should carry when she goes to her final resting place, in total serenity.” (JMR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio. (October 23, 2007 issue)
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