GMA pardons Erap. The spineless wimp gives clemency to a reprobate hypocrite (or the other way around, your choice). Not just the pardon but the haste and the evident furtiveness with which it was granted: Nothing could be more hilarious. Nothing could be more sickening.
I don’t know how a person - who is presently serving jail time after having been convicted of Estafa involving less than a hundred thousand pesos – would feel about Erap - after being found to have committed the well, a just so so crime of PLUNDER, involving an amount in just … well, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PESOS – is now SCOT-FREE!
Man, he has not spent even a single day in jail – unless you call a luxurious air-conditioned rest house one.
Well, he was pardoned for some “good” reasons. For one, he is a former president (actually the “next” former president might just need this also). Two, for “humanitarian reasons” - he is seventy years old (so are a lot of other prisoners! In fact a 73 year old, for example, is still languishing in jail - for what? - for the crime of Acts of Lasciviousness.) Three, why not, in the spirit of “reconciliation” (reconciliation my foot, they are just talking about themselves – greedy bastards, who were friends before, now enemies, next friends, then enemies, continually making fools out of us).
Precisely, you cannot compare him or his situation to those of ordinary criminals. His is a class by itself. In legal gobbledygook – in sui generis. In layman’s term – pure bullshit.
True, a president has absolute discretion to exercise the power of pardon. It is supposed to be an act of grace proceeding from the power entrusted in the office of the President in order to afford the beneficiary relief from undue harshness or evident mistake in the operation or enforcement of the criminal law. However, it bears stressing that such power emanated from the people who voted her into office for which reason she should find ineluctable to at least gather (or even just give the appearance to weigh out) what their sentiments are on this consequential issue. But no, what is paramount on her mind is “national reconciliation”… to “move on” – REALLY?
As of this writing, I read from the internet some unseemly cordial and almost comradely statements from both Arroyo’s and Erap’s camp. A poorly cooked-up B-movie scene played by some butter-fingered actors comes to mind. Ah yes, Erap.
It seems we’ve been had. Again.
From the looks of it, the pardon was an ACT OF DISGRACE. Shame.
(UPDATE 10/28/07): The above was my spur-of-the-moment reaction to the Erap Pardon just seconds after I learned of the news. Lest I commit some inaccuracies, I am compelled to edit the reference to "hundreds of other prisoners" who are similarly situated to Erap in terms of age as I have no data to back this up, but indeed there are such prisoners that presently reside in the National Bilibid Prison, according to PCIJ, hence the link. The rest stays as my unwavering sentiment.)
Qu. : I wonder if the President would extend the same pardon to Erap's other co-accused namely Jaime Dichaves, Eleuterio Tan, Yolanda Ricaforte, Alma Alfaro, and Delia Rajas (who all are still at large), who - if arrested, face trial, and are found guilty, will have to suffer the penalties the crime. It will be a case of Catch-22 for Arroyo. If she denies them pardon, the situation would be a case of a master-mind getting free while his (supposedly lesser guilty) minions will have to go rot in jail. The gravity of the injustice definitely stinks to high heavens. Yet if she grants them pardon, how will she justify the act when the accused's situation does not fall under any of the grounds she utilized in granting executive clemency for Erap. She will have to extend the same clemency to hundreds of other prisoners, albeit lesser known, who are similarly-situated.
This is just another compelling argument that the Erap pardon is, in the first place, wholly morally and intellectually wrong.
Yes, tito rolly,
erap’s pompous pronouncemnts earlier especially that prior to the promulgation; i too admire his intrepid refusal to any compromise - that he was willing to risk everything, to stay in jail - just to prove his “innocence”.
But then, i remember he is first and foremost an actor. he he he.
Re: estoppel. it definitely applies. The fact that he recognizes the authority of the president to grant pardon means he also recognizes the legitimacy of her presidency, therefore effectively prevents him from questioning the same.
Posted by siu at October 27, 2007, 8:59 amFrom the looks of it Erap’s pardon has long been decided. His was a case of death, and in the third day from the dead he rose again. The powers that be has decided that he should die first so that he may be resurrected. This has been a plan that GMA (and the so-called opposition) executed so perfectly.
And so treacherously.
And mind you, this will not be the last shameless act that GMA would commit. Who knows if the next one would be more shameless, more sinister, more evil: so much so that this act would truly stink right down to the bowels of hell.
Who knows, indeed, if GMA plans to be the next president-for-life. Scary.
Happy Halloween.
(nice read shoe; i’m late replying ’cause i’m just stunned. nah, let’s just say, ’cause i’m fuming mad.)
Posted by emerson at October 31, 2007, 7:44 amemerson, ha ha ha, even with this issue you couldn’t help getting into halloween mode. GMA as the devil woman, that is.
Ironically, you likened Erap to Christ in resurrection. Truth is, unlike Christ, he never went into fasting but in instead he was fattening his ass up in his comfortable rest house. At any rate, I remembered blogger Sassy Lawyer who refer to him as Anak ng Dios, sa bisaya pa, Anak ug Ginoo, meaning he sees or believes himself to be untouchable. Well, with the pardon there seemes to be some truth to what he believed in.
Posted by siu at October 31, 2007, 8:42 amI try not to think about that pardon thingie, but it really is infuriating. So, this country wasted time, money, and effort for nothing? The national reconciliation excuse is just plain bull and Erap’s age is irrelevant.
And for me, between ordinary folks and authority figures who have committed the same crime, authority figures should be given heavier punishment since they betrayed public trust and abused their power.
Posted by cyberpunk at November 1, 2007, 6:10 pmcyberpunk, yeah that is exactly my point in a previous post that his (Erap) being a former president should not serve as an extenuating circumstance, but should instead be made a basis as an aggravating circumstance to deny him pardon.
But as they say “what are we in power for”. Shit. I’m getting sick to my stomach. Again.
Your take on justice is refreshing. Would love to see you practicing with your principles in the U.S.
Posted by jackpayne at December 12, 2007, 11:03 amJackpayne, id probably be considering that option if my wife pursues her bullheaded desire to become a nurse and migrate to the US.
Posted by siu at December 19, 2007, 4:36 pmAll comments are moderated. Your comments will not appear here unless approved by the blog owner. Thank you.
Well, I find Erap’s acceptance of pardon funny. Funny in the sense that earlier, he said he wouldn’t accept any offer of pardon for it would mean several concessions for him: that he will accept that GMA is the legitimate president and that he is guilty as charged. I almost admired him for his stance, hahaha.
You commented in my blog about estoppel. Does that count as being Erap being estopped from his earlier pronouncements? If only there’s such a thing, no?
Posted by rolly at October 27, 2007, 6:53 am