SUBSCRIBEErap wants to leave detention to campaign
Deposed president Estrada’s lawyers were supposed to urgently file with the Sandiganbayan, where his plunder trial is being heard. Their plea: to permit the deposed president and have him released and hit the campaign trail for the newly renamed opposition senatorial candidates group, the Genuine Oppostion. They reasoned that:
Obviously, he’s frustrated because he wants to be part of this process… President Estrada, presumed innocent, has the right to participate in this constitutional process…
…he’s a national figure… and he should be free to campaign.
Wow. I wonder how stretched their imagination is or how lawyers now are doing all sorts of rationalizations to justify such a move. They cannot be faulted, however. Having been granted leaves from his house arrest at his sprawling Tanay resthouse countless times, the recent one just the other day for him to visit his ailing mother. Its just normal that they get bolder with their requests. Even with the near impossibility of having it granted, or the ridiculousness of it all, such trial balloons would surely create an issue that, they presume, the masses would believe outright or if rebuffed, hoist it as another propaganda tool against the government.
Well, this is politics, Philippine style where anything and everything can happen. The political accommodation of Erap has really gone out of hand that its making a folly of the country’s justice system.
On the otherhand, despite topping the so called independent survey recently released by Pulse Asia, opposition senatorial candidates seem to be so desperate that they can only see Erap as the one and only saving grace that will catapult them to the Senate. So when he was granted a leave the other day, they all trooped to the house at Polk Street in San juan and posed and were photographed for their campaign posters and ads.
Other problems are hobbling the Genuine Opposition lineup. Other than the confusion generated by the inclusion of Manny Villar and Kiko Pangilinan as guest candidates, unclear platform and programs except a common hatred of President Arroyo, the most important, funds are getting short which JV Ejercito conveniently blamed the administration.
Now, what else is new?
