SikhSpectrum.com Quarterly Issue No. 17, August 2004
Prisoner Estrada Continues to Pull Election Strings
Danny Chan
Despite his incarceration since 2001 on plunder charges, Joseph Estrada continues to cast a pall on the presidential elections. The deposed former president has been imprisoned since his ouster at the people power uprising in Manila and the installation of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, then the vice president, into the country’s presidency.
At the Camp Capinpin military compound, where he is currently detained, supporters convene daily in a show of support. Several staff members and politicians visit him in his bungalow on the camp grounds. He has been allowed to leave the military compound on several occasions, including his mother’s 99th birthday as well as an extended trip to the United States for knee surgery—an offer he later turned down.
“I am still president of the Republic of the Philippines,” he said. “I never signed a resignation letter. Gloria Arroyo stole my job. Her administration has no legitimacy. We are living in a banana republic.”
The 67-year-old actor-turned-president was influential in convincing Fernando Poe Jr to run for the country’s top job earlier this year, and is widely thought to be serving as Mr Poe’s de facto campaign manager.
Mr Poe’s election campaign mentioned the extra-constitutional nature of Mr Estrada’s ouster, emphasizing the former actor’s image as a defender of the poor fighting against the injustices perpetrated by a corrupted ruling class. Most observers believe the Poe candidacy is a calculated move where a victorious Mr Poe would issue a pardon to his long-time friend, although Mr Estrada has denied this. Mr Estrada said he expects only a fair re-trial from his friend. Reports also state Mr Estrada has donated millions of pesos to his friend’s election bid and is directing the campaign by cell phone from his cell.
“There are four grounds for removing a president. One, resignation. I did not resign. Two, conviction in an impeachment trial. The trial was aborted. Three, permanent incapacity. I am very healthy. Four, death. I am very much alive,” Mr Estrada said.
Mr Estrada’s graft trial is actually at a stalemate. Prosecutors completed their submissions last December but the defense has yet to begin cross-examinations.
“I’ve withdrawn my lawyers and presented my defense to the people,” he said. “They’ve created a special court with handpicked justices to convict me, so why should I bother to defend myself.”
The jailed former president’s efforts have been further stymied by his former police chief’s decision to stand in the election. Panfilo Lacson launched has own campaign and came third in most polls. His faction has split the opposition’s votes and mediation efforts to unite the Poe and Lacson camps proved fruitless.
Mr Estrada was elected to Malacañang in 1998 with six-million-vote margin on a wave of popular appeal, gaining support especially in the country’s impoverished areas. He was toppled in a military-backed revolt that installed Mrs Macapagal-Arroyo into the presidency. Mr Estrada has denied any wrongdoing and has spent the ensuing years fighting off plunder allegations. He faces life imprisonment or the death penalty if found guilty.
