Without Erap, lose Mindanao

While Alan Cayetano was triggering a political circus to save Manny Villar, critical problems are forgotten, such as North Cotabato Vice Gov. Manny Piñol issuing a very powerful warning this week: “We may have put a stop to the MoA-AD (Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain), but with five months left in the Arroyo administration, we may not be as successful this time around.”

The country is facing the loss of control of a great part of Mindanao while many Filipinos in the areas to be ceded are facing an oppressive imposition. Christians, Lumads and even Muslim groups such as the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) oppose the Bangso Moro Juridical Entity, a concept imposed by the British, US powers and their ally Malaysia to install their puppet Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in an area covering North Cotabato, Zamboanga and many provinces not in the present Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), plus the fossil fuel rich Liguasan Marsh and Sulu Sea.

Piñol added during the North Cotabato gathering, “This is why I hope the next president will be Erap. I pray it would be Erap… President Erap understands that Mindanao needs security above all. And it is on record that of all presidents, it was Erap who achieved the freedom from terror in Mindanao when he won the war against the MILF…” 

Last year when the Yellow candidate announced his candidacy and some Edsa II recidivists (sorry for 2001 but balik-dilaw for 2010) rejoined the Yellows, I texted them: “I am absolutely certain the Philippines will lose Mindanao if your candidate makes it.” 

I am now reaffirmed by Piñol’s statements. Truth to tell, the Yellow candidate went to Mindanao to “pray” before announcing his candidacy but actually consulted confidants like Chito Ayala on how Mindanaons would take the MoA-AD if he promised the same to the US in exchange for their support.

It is not surprising therefore that Ambassador Kristie Kenney was widely reported by Philippine media to have quipped in one TV show that she “wears yellow.” No wonder then that all the traditional institutions associated with western hegemony in the Philippines, particularly the Makati Business Club and the Catholic hierarchy, the “civil society” such as the Hyatt 10 (11 because lawyer Nonong Cruz was the real engineer of that attempted putsch in 2005), openly endorse or have joined the campaign of the Yellow candidate. 

Also, the Yellow media which have been working to implant subliminal pro-Yellow candidate messages in their news reporting such as the full front page treatment of the “Cory Swatch” designed by Edsa people power crony Jaime Zobel de Ayala that didn’t do anything but attach a yellow strap which my watch repair man at the Edsa Central market could do better.

The real issue in the elections of 2010 is still the Filipino national interest versus the regime of neo-colonial slavery reigning since Edsa I and aggravated by Edsa II. The 1986 Cory led coup d’etat brought back Nur Misuari from political limbo and revived the MNLF that the Marcos government had already marginalized with the hard earned victories of the AFP. The 2001 Edsa II as well gave a return ticket to the already self-exiled MILF leader Hashim Salamat whom President Estrada had already vanquished in 2000. There is no doubt that the Edsa II was partly motivated by the US and British-Malaysian interests to restore their leverage in Mindanao and eventually Balkanize that part of the country to control its fossil fuel resources just as they have done in so many parts of the world, such as East Timor from Indonesia, Kuwait from Iraq, and have been attempting in Bolivia.

I don’t know if we can save Mindanao from Uncle Sam’s cake knife: With the charlatans in the Senate and the House, I see very little hope unless drastic change in leadership quality transpires. On the C-5 scam for example, Joker Arroyo is correct in saying that the entire Senate is guilty because they all approved the 2009 budget which included the insertions of Villar. We expect Joker Arroyo to lead the rest of the Senate in resigning their positions posthaste because of this admission on his part. The biggest loser in the current imbroglio are Villar and Alan Cayetano because they simply can’t stand on the argument that it’s all just politics and numbers. It was Villar’s chance to show that he could stand above politics and numbers and carry the day with a stirring defense of his innocence to win the nation’s heart — but obviously he could not and chose to hide behind his political surrogate.

Pimentel showed the nadir of his capabilities in his intervention about “insertions” and Jamby Madrigal should have just kept her piece because history records the facts about their family wealth:

From “Policing America’s Empire: The United States, the Philippines, and the Rise of the Surveillance State” by Alfred McCoy: “In a clear example of crony capitalism, Quezon, working through Governor Harrison, appointed the well-connected mestizo merchant Ramon Fernandez to the PNB Board in 1916. Three years later Fernandez and another PNB director, Vicente Madrigal, voted themselves interest-free personal loans for an ill-fated attempt to corner Manila’s hemp supply. The market collapsed, leaving the bank with 53,000 worthless bales of hemp and P2.2 million in bad loans that the PNB directors illegally wiped from the books.” They all seem hopelessly hypocritical and inane.

It’s time we return power to the people, keep Mindanao for the nation: “Ibalik ang Pwersa sa Masa.” 

(Tune to 1098AM, Sulo ng Pilipino, M-W-F, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Global News Network, Destiny Cable Channel 21, Talk News TV, Tuesday, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.; visit http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)

Erap to boost campaign after Comelec nod on candidacy

Former President Joseph Estrada on Thursday said he is looking to boost his electoral campaign now that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has given him the go signal to pursue the presidency once more.

In an interview over GMA News' Unang Hirit, Estrada said many people have expressed willingness to contribute to his campaign after the Comelec dismissed two petitions to disqualify him from running for president in the May elections. [See: Comelec allows Erap to run in May 10 polls]

"Marami namang gustong tumulong; dagdagan yung TV ads dahil medyo mahal ng konti eh kaya maraming gustong tumulong ngayon lalo na nung lumabas yung desisyon sa Comelec (There are many who want to help; TV ads are expensive so many are willing to help, especially after the Comelec released its decision)," the former president said.

Estrada said he would also continue his "Lakbay Pasasalamat" to thank his supporters who stood by him even while he was incarcerated.

With the Comelec decision, Estrada expressed confidence that he would rise higher in surveys on preferred presidential candidates, noting that he consistently ranked third even back when there were doubts on the legitimacy of his renewed bid for the presidency.

The decision, however, is not yet final since the petitioners can still appeal the same before the Comelec en banc and even the Supreme Court.



Quite ironically, the Comelec's Second Division released its decision allowing Estrada to have another shot at the presidency on the same day that he was forced out of office nine years ago.

Highest vote

Estrada was elected president in 1998 with over 10 million votes, the highest vote a presidential candidate ever had in Philippine history.

After less than three years in power, he was toppled by a popular uprising many dub as "EDSA Dos" amid corruption allegations and before an impeachment court could rule on his case.

In September 2007, Estrada was convicted by the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan for plunder, sentenced to reclusion perpetua and disqualified from seeking public office.

A month later, however, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo granted him executive clemency, thus restoring his political and civil rights, including his right to run for public office.

To this day, Estrada maintains that the Edsa Dos uprising--which consequently propelled then-Vice President Arroyo to the presidency--was a mistake.

"Si President Cory Aquino, she touched my heart nung siya sa publiko humingi ng tawad sa akin sa pagkakamali ng Edsa Dos," he said in the same television interview.

Cory apology

The late former President Aquino, who was the first to be propelled to the presidency through people power after millions of Filipinos supported a military uprising against the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, was one of the leaders of EDSA Dos.

However, she publicly apologized to Estrada in December 2008 for helping oust him. [See: 'Guilty' Cory says sorry to Estrada for EDSA 2 revolt]

A day after the Comelec allowed Estrada to run again, pro-Estrada ads calling on people to right the supposed wrongs of EDSA Dos were published in newspapers.

"Ang pagkakamali ng Edsa Dos... Iwasto natin sa May 2010... Ibalik ang Pwersa sa Masa (Right the wrongs of EDSA-Dos in May 2010. Bring the power to the masses)," the message of the ad went.

The ads, placed in Metro Manila broadsheets and tabloids, featured a photo of Estrada's wrist with his "trademark" wristband with the presidential seal, reaching out to the masses.

Quotes from personalities questioning the impact of EDSA Dos on the Constitution were featured in the ads. Also included in the ads were apologies to Estrada by Mrs. Aquino and Catholic bishop Antonio Tobias. - Johanna Camille Sisante/RSJ, GMANews.TV

Triumph of the people

Talk of Erap Estrada being disqualified, as well as rumors spread by both the Liberal Party (LP) and the Nacionalista Party (NP) camps that he is withdrawing from the presidential race and will be endorsing either party’s standard bearer can now be laid to rest, after the Commission on Elections

(Comelec)’s second division junked the three disqualification cases against the former President, on grounds that he is not the incumbent president seeking reelection, and the belief that the decision on who is to be elected president is best left to the sovereign people.

From the start, the anti-Erap media and the anti-Erap elite groups tried to demolish his candidacy by stressing that Estrada would be disqualified, giving out all arguments about his being banned from running for the same seat, in a bid to weaken his candidacy.

Even when Estrada officially announced his candidacy and that of his vice president and senatorial bets in Tondo, the anti-Erap media, even as they covered the proclamation rally, ensured that their guest panelists would all be anti-Erap individuals. Thus, as there was live video coverage in a box on the TV screen, there were the anchors and the panelists all saying that Erap will be disqualified anyway since he is constitutionally banned from running for the top post again.

Then too, came the day Estrada filed his certificate of candidacy at the Comelec, and again the same mode was adopted by the anti-Erap TV network. There again went the guest invited to comment, but one who was also clearly anti-Erap, saying that Estrada has no chance of making it to the race since he faces sure disqualification.

Arguments on whether he could run or not went on, with the added spiel that Estrada was going to withdraw in favor of LP bet Noynoy Aquino, simultaneously with the spread of rumor by the Villar camp that Estrada will be withdrawing from the race and be endorsing Villar.

There were reports from the field that the Villar camp even had a tabloid issue saying that Erap was ready to withdraw in favor of Villar.

All that didn’t even stop as the same anti-Erap groups and media, in reporting survey ratings, dropped Estrada altogether, making it appear that the race was just between Aquino and Villar.

Not surprisingly either, they came up with “analyses” of Estrada losing his touch with the masses and was being rejected by his constituents.

At every chance they got, they always excluded him in reports such as the trips of presidential bets to commiserate with the evacuees from the Mayon ash falls, even when he also went to these places.

Today, the issue on the disqualification of Estrada’s presidential bid should be a dead issue, but that hasn’t stopped the same anti-Erap groups from saying that the Comelec’s decision may still be overturned, despite the fact that the Comelec spokesman said that while a motion for reconsideration is allowed, a strong legal and constitutional argument has to be made for the commission to reverse its decision. But what could be a strong argument against the fact that it is the sovereign people, and not the unelected, who should decide whom they want to elect as president?

The Comelec’s promulgation junking the three disqualification cases also came on the exact date that the anti-Erap civil society staged a coup d’etat against Estrada, exactly nine years ago.

The junking of the disqualification cases against Estrada is not just a triumph of the former President. It is the triumph of the Filipino people, whose sovereign right to elect a president of their choice has been upheld.

There must be a moral lesson in all this, for the power-grabbing elite anti-Erap groups to learn.

Comelec allows Erap to run for President in May 10 polls

The Commission on Elections on Wednesday allowed former President Joseph Estrada to run in this year's presidential elections.

"The better policy approach is to let the people decide who will be the next president. For on political questions, this Court may err but the sovereign people will not," the poll body’s Second Division said in a decision junking the petition filed against Estrada last December.

"The two petitions for disqualification separately filed by Evilio Pormento and Mary Lou Estrada against former President Joseph Estrada are both denied for utter lack of merit," the Comelec said.

Incidentally, the decision was promulgated on the same day Estrada was forced by a popular street uprising to step down nine years ago.

The Second Division likewise denied the petition of lawyer Elly Pamatong to cancel Estrada's certificate of candidacy, saying the plea had wasted the poll body's "precious time."

In seeking Estrada's disqualification, the petitioners cited Article VII, Section 4 of the Constitution which says: "The President shall not be eligible for any reelection. No person who has succeeded as President and has served as such for more than four years shall be qualified for election to the same office at any time."

Pamatong, who was present during the promulgation, was enraged by what he claimed were corrupt commissioners. He was cited in contempt and detained.



For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

Estrada elated

"I want to thank the Lord, I want to thank the Comelec commissioners for their sense of fairness," Estrada said, adding that his triumph was a "victory for the Filipino people." If appealed, the division ruling may still be overturned by the Comelec en banc and Supreme Court.

Since Estrada formally announced his intention to run again for President, many have debated whether he would be allowed to do so.

Citing the same Charter provision, Estrada asserts he is still eligible to have another shot at the presidency because he does not fall into two categories banned from doing so: incumbent Presidents and those who have finished their six-year term as President.

In 1998, Estrada was elected with over 10 million votes, the highest vote a presidential candidate ever had in Philippine history. After less than three years in power, he was toppled by the street uprising amid corruption allegations and before an impeachment court could rule on his case.

In September 2007, Estrada was convicted by the Sandiganbayan, the country's anti-graft court, for plunder, sentenced to a lifetime in jail and disqualified from seeking public office.

A month later, however, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo granted him executive clemency, thus restoring his political and civil rights, including his right to seek public office. He has since reiterated his eligibility to run, saying he was not covered by the reelection ban under the 1987 Constitution.

Election lawyer and Arroyo supporter Romulo Macalintal, however, contests Estrada’s argument, saying any Chief Executive is covered by the clause.

He also said the four-year cap under Section 4 applies only to those who have succeeded the President, not those who were elected to office.

But the second division ruled that the contested provision only refers to the incumbent and the prohibition to run in the subsequent election.

"Estrada no longer holds a public office, more importantly, he is no longer the President and wields none of the vast powers of this position… because of this prevailing status, a simple application of the rule will lead any reasonable and logical person to conclude that the prohibition against the reelection of the President does not apply to Estrada," it said in the decision.

SC en banc junks disqualification petition vs Erap

The Supreme Court en banc has junked with finality a petition seeking the disqualification of former president Joseph Estrada from joining the presidential race in May, radio dzBB's Teresa Tavares reported on Tuesday.

The petition was filed by lawyer Elgio Mallari of the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution, Inc. who argued that under Article VII, Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution, Estrada is barred from running as president in the coming polls.

The said provision of the Constitution states, “The President and the Vice President shall be elected by direct vote of the people which shall begin for a term of six years at noon of the thirtieth day of June next following the day of the election and end at the noon on the same date six years after."

The same section further states, "The President shall not be eligible for any reelection. No person who has succeeded as President and has served as such for more than four years shall be qualified for election to the same office at any time." -

Destiny

As the other presidential candidates are dreaming of their trek to their destination, namely, Malacañang, President Joseph Estrada is looking at it as his destiny!

There is a lot of difference, of course. Destination is simply a stop, an end of a journey totally resting and counting on human and personal designs, instrumentations and objectives. Destiny would refer essentially to a divine act or design as described in the olden times “the will of the gods” which is foretold by augurs and the fulfillment of which is being “monitored” closely and guided by the “gods,” but prevented from being fulfilled by the dark forces through all means including violent.

The wicked king, Herod, had his bloodied hands on the holy innocents when he attempted to thwart the assumption of Jesus Christ’s destiny as “King of all Kings” — in short, the “destiny syndrome.”

But if the other presidential aspirants are kowtowing to the “gods” of the arrogant and elitist manipulators or the “idols” of media, President Estrada relies solely on the God he came to know much better in his almost six years of incarceration because of political persecution.

He proclaims his destiny not from the point of the ignorant arrogance, but from the view of a simple but humble faith in God who in due time would finally dismantle the injustice that chained the former president when he fulfills his destiny as the next president of the Republic. As other presidential wannabes ride high through the waves of multi-media and sponsored surveys Estrada puts his faith in vox populi vox dei as evidenced by the overwhelming outcome of his provincial sorties, Lakbay Pasasalamat.

Now, Erap’s presidential accountability is solely to God without sidetracking the poor masses who still uphold him in a sort of vicarious representation, which means that they see themselves and their aspirations in the Ama ng Masang Pilipino. As the other presidentiables are still squeezing their “identification” with the poor masses, as many of their radio-TV ads would reveal, Erap’s “identity” with the poor masses have already been deeply entrenched in the collective consciousness of the poor people. Again, this is destiny.

Being of divine design, destiny always spells mystery. In many overseas ministry trips I have been to, questions about how come and why the Filipinos voted for President Estrada in 1998, on record the biggest voting chunk for a president in Philippine history, seem unanswered and continue to be wrapped in mystery, namely, how an actor, a college drop-out, and that litany of tirades that the late Cardinal Sin would love to recite, made it to the highest post and would possibly reassume it in the upcoming elections!

Unfortunately, the manner by which the elitists and intellectuals in our society understood the “mystery” was to dislodge it totally by a self-righteous justification in ousting Erap through a power grab. Imbued with mindless pragmatism, the elitists believed it was the most convenient way to dispel the mysterious in Erap’s destiny, something similar to 15th century St. Joan of Arc’s condemnation by the Catholic bishops in order to demolish her claims of heavenly visionary messages.

Of course, true blue elitists and intellectuals in any culture and society such as ours would shun mysteries as pure “chance” or “coincidence” or transitory madness of a mystified populace such as those 10 million who stamped their future in Erap’s hands in 1998. For the elitist intellectuals, the only possibility in politics is that which is rationally comprehensible. Expect some humorous uproar or grin over Erap’s statement last Tuesday of his “destiny” as the next president of the country! Destiny, therefore comprehensible only from the view of a divine design and mystery would be crap to the elitist intellectual who may have confined mysteries to matters of faith and doctrine of their church which conveniently protect their sub-culture of feigned intellectualism and self-righteousness.

At this point where commissioned surveys and media with the usual flair for mudslinging and black propaganda seem to force their way into the voting consciousness of the population, President Estrada’s camp remains focused on the fulfillment of his destiny, which knows no surveys or media — but solely on vox dei, vox populi... Larry Faraon, OP

Mayor Binay laughs off rumors of Erap quitting race

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay has laughed off rumors that former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada is planning to withdraw from the presidential race, saying only a disqualification can stop the former chief executive from reclaiming the highest post in the land. In an exclusive interview with the Manila Bulletin, Binay said their tandem’s standing on pre-election surveys and the triviality of the disqualification cases filed against Estrada are reasons enough for the former president to pursue his political fight.

“Even with the pendency of the disqualification cases against President Erap, he was in high spirits. He knew that it will not prosper, so whoever is floating these rumors are only threatened by President Erap’s winnability as a candidate. All of these are plain rumor mongering. President Erap is not withdrawing from the race,” Binay said.

Claiming the Estrada-Binay tandem is stronger than ever and the team to beat in the May elections, Binay confirmed rumors that they are being invited to be endorsed by the Liberal Party faction led by Environment Secretary Lito Atienza.

According to Binay’s spokesperson, Joey Salgado, the initiative of the LP-Atienza wing only confirms their claim that other parties believe in the formidability of the Estrada-Binay tandem, apart from the warm reception of the public in provincial sorties they do for their “Lakbay Pasasalamat.” By KRIS BAYOS

Atienza backs Erap presidential bid in May polls

Former Environment Secretary Jose "Lito" Atienza and his companions in the faction that broke away from the Liberal Party will endorse former President Joseph Estrada as their presidential bet in the upcoming May 10 elections.

"The Liberal Party Atienza wing is endorsing President Estrada as its presidential candidate," Estrada spokesperson Margaux Salcedo told GMANews.TV over the phone.

"He (Estrada) has accepted their coalition because he feels that in the city of Manila, it's Atienza who will be able to carry out his pro-poor program," she said.

The endorsement will be formally announced at the Port Area in Manila 4 p.m. Thursday, Salcedo said.

Atienza will run for mayor in Manila next year, a position he previously held for several terms. He will be running against re-electionist Alfredo Lim, a former senator and former Interior secretary of Estrada; and former National Police chief Avelino Razon Jr.

Lim is supporting Liberal Party's Benigno Aquino III for president while Razon, a member of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) is backing the presidential bid of Lakas-Kampi-CMD's Gilberto Teodoro Jr.

Atienza was LP chairman before the party split in 2005 in the wake of the "Hello, Garci" scandal, in which wiretapped audio recordings indicated that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo might have benefited from electoral fraud in 2004.

The scandal prompted a faction of the party led by then Senate President Franklin Drilon to call for Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation. Atienza’s faction, on the other hand, remained loyal to the administration.

A Supreme Court ruling later recognized the Drilon faction as the "legitimate" LP. - Jam Sisante/RSJ, GMANews.TV

ERAP

Joseph Marcelo Ejercito Estrada was born on April 19, 1937, in Tondo, Manila. His parents, Engr. Emilio Ejercito and Maria Marcelo, moved to San Juan where he grew up and where he continues to reside to this day. His primary education was obtained at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University. He later took up an Engineering course at the Mapua Institute of Technology.

In his early twenties, he became a movie actor by accident but later proved himself to be an accomplished thespian, starring in a string of well-received films that earned him the title of a living legend in local filmdom. More popularly known as Erap, he is a five-time Best Actor awardee – a feat he repeated by winning the Best Picture award an equal number of times. This earned him a rare place in the FAMAS Hall of Fame in 1981 and 1984, respectively.

He entered politics in 1967, was elected and re-elected mayor of the Municipality (now City) of San Juan which he served with dedication and distinction for more than 16 continuous years. Unfortunately, he was one of hundreds of local officials who were asked to step down in the aftermath of the 1986 EDSA revolution. When he left his post, the San Juan Municipal treasury registered P24-million in savings.

In 1972, he was selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) in Public Administration by the Philippine Jaycees. He was also voted Outstanding Mayor and foremost Nationalist by the Inter-Provincial Information Service in 1971 and awarded the coveted title, “Most Outstanding Metro Manila Mayor,” the following year by the Philippine Princeton Poll.

His administration of San Juan was marked by unequaled accomplishments in infrastructure development. These included the establishment of the first san Juan Municipal High School, the Agora complex, a modern slaughterhouse, a sprawling Government Center with a post Office, a mini-park and the concreting of 98 percent of San Juan’s roads and alleys.
His administration of San Juan was marked by unequaled accomplishments in infrastructure development. These included the establishment of the first san Juan Municipal High School, the Agora complex, a modern slaughterhouse, a sprawling Government Center with a post Office, a mini-park and the concreting of 98 percent of San Juan’s roads and alleys.

As mayor, he paid particular attention to the elementary education of school-age children by improving and renovating school buildings and constructing additional school structures, health centers, barangay halls and playgrounds in all the barangays and providing artesian wells to areas with low water supply. He relocated some 1,800 squatter families out of San Juan to Taytay, Rizal, at no cost to the affected families. He was also the first mayor to computerize assessment of the Real Estate Tax in the Municipal Assessor’s Office.
For the movie industry, he established the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (MOWELFUND), Inc. which has now become a robust organization that provides industry workers with financial and professional assistance. His efforts to upgrade and professionalize the film industry have resulted in substantial benefits to all movie personnel, from directors and actors down to the lowest crewmen.

He is the Founder and President of the ERAP Para sa Mahirap Foundation, a foundation that offers scholarship assistance to poor but deserving college students. Through the foundation’s educational grants, more than a thousand students have since earned a college degree.

He also established the San Juan Progress Foundation, the San Juan Police and Fire Trust Fund and the Friends of Joseph Estrada, which offers free burial assistance for the poor folks of San Juan.

In 1987, he set his sights on a Senate run and handily garnered a seat. He was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Public Works. He was Vice-Chairman of the Committees on Health, Natural Resources and Ecology and Urban Planning.

In the Senate, Joseph Ejercito Estrada was credited with the passage of, among other major pieces of legislation, the bills on irrigation project and the protection and propagation of carabaos, the beast of burden in the rural areas.

As a senator, he was one of the so-called “Magnificent 12” who voted to terminate the RP-US Military Bases Agreement leading to the withdrawal of American servicemen from the Clark Air Base in Pampanga and the Subic Naval Base in Zambales.

In 1989, the Free Press cited him as one of the Three Outstanding Senators of the Year. He was conferred the degree of Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa by the Bicol University in April 1997, and the University of Pangasinan in 1990.

Joseph Ejercito Estrada, who won as Vice-President in 1992 under a mixed ticket, was also designated as Presidential Adviser on Crime Prevention and Law Enforcement with a Cabinet rank and served concurrently as Chairman of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission (PACC). AS PACC chairman, he was a member of the National Security Council.

The notable accomplishments of the PACC against kidnappers and bank robbers, together with “hoodlums in uniform,” “hoodlums in robes” and illegal recruiters, earned for Chairman Estrada a performance rating of 85 percent in public opinion polls.

He funded the Philippine Drug Abuse Resistance Education (PhilDARE) Program on August 24, 1993, to address the growing problem of drug abuse among the youth.

His role in establishing peace and order, however, was cut short by the issuance of Executive Order No. 221 in January 1995, which clipped the PACC’s operational control over its task forces. He resigned as PACC chairman on June 4, 1997.

He reached the pinnacle of his political career when he was elected President of the Republic in the May 11, 1998 national elections. With almost 11-million Filipinos writing his name on the ballot, his margin of victory was the biggest ever registered in Philippine electoral history.

Speaking before millions gathered at his inaugural address in Manila, the newly-elected chief executive said his presidency would serve the Filipino masses whose welfare had long been neglected. A line from his speech, “Walang kaibigan, walang kumpare, walang kamag-anak,” was a stern warning against anyone who would attempt to undermine his administration with influence-peddling.

Determined to bring his pro-poor platform to every facet of the government’s operations, he immediately ordered the removal of all sovereign guarantees on contracts for public projects which would require the sovereign Filipino people to assume the financial losses of private companies doing business with the government. Records will show that until January 20, 2001, he did not sign a single government contract with a sovereign guarantee.

Committed to cleaning the bureaucracy of undesirable elements, he ordered the immediate relief of corrupt officials in the military and police hierarchy. He ordered a wide-ranging investigation of all government contracts entered into by the previous administration to ensure these were above-board and directly advantageous to the citizenry.

He ordered the investigation of suspected big-time tax evaders even if some of these individuals had contributed to his presidential campaign.

His pro-poor program of government bore fruit in less than two years, with a significant improvement in the country’s peace and order situation. This likewise elicited a proportionate rise in the approval rating of the Philippine National Police.

The Estrada administration undertook an aggressive housing program on a national basis, targeting low-cost homes for the poor.

Agriculture received greater priority, while the national government likewise took steps to bring down the cost of medicine.

Foreign investments grew exponentially, benefiting greatly from the unsullied and esteemed reputation of the best and the brightest chosen to be part of his Cabinet, and even more from his reputation as a strongly nationalistic yet progressive president.

Tragically, a cabal of disgruntled businessmen dissatisfied with his pro-poor stance joined forces with elitist members of civil society and a number of high-ranking Catholic priests to put in motion a movement to steal his presidency by first destroying his reputation and employing a false witness with a dubious character and shadowy background to spearhead this.

The Senate impeachment trial, a constitutional process initiated to determine the truth behind the allegations of corruption hurled by the false witness, ended abruptly in mid-January 2001 when prosecutors staged a walk-out after senators voted against the opening of a document which had no bearing whatsoever on the cases filed before the tribunal.

With the second highest official of the land and her husband working secretly with this group and courting the military sector’s support, things came to a head on the 20th of January 2001 with the leave of absence filed by Joseph Estrada and his temporary departure from Malacanang.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the legality of the Macapagal-Arroyo presidency, he was arrested at his San Juan home in the afternoon of April 25, 2001 on the strength of a warrant of arrest issued by the Sandiganbayan for the crime of plunder filed by his political enemies.

The painfully humiliating nature of his arrest sparked massive indignation from his millions of supporters, many of whom converged at the EDSA Shrine to demand his release and reinstatement. On the eve of May 1, 2001, a fraction of the estimated three-million who gathered in EDSA marched to Malacanang to bring their case before Mrs. Arroyo but were met with brutal police and military force.

A long-drawn out trial before the Sandiganbayan special division gave his defense panel the opportunity to map out in unequivocal terms the inconsistencies and impossibilities inherent in the plunder charges filed against him, primarily on the strength of the false witness’s testimony.

In candid moments, however, he acknowledged the improbability of obtaining a fair verdict from a “kangaroo court” which was widely believed to have been created for the sole purpose of ensuring his conviction.
His incarceration continued for more than six years, with only his place of detention changing: the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, Camp Capinpin in Tanay, and finally at his Tanay rest house where he remained until he was freed in October 25, 2007 on the strength of an unconditional pardon.

Today, Joseph Estrada – the private citizen – spends most of his hours making up for lost time by visiting urban poor neighborhoods in what he calls a “Lakbay Pasasalamat” (thanksgiving caravan) to thank residents for their unstinting support for him despite being away for so long.

From June to July of 2008, Estrada’s civic calendar had him bringing humanitarian and relief missions to several provinces severely affected by torrential rains and floods spawned by typhoon Frank. Together with well-meaning friends and associates, Estrada toured devastated barangays and communities in the Panay peninsula – including Iloilo, Aklan, and more recently Romblon – to distribute relief packs of rice, medicines, and canned goods. His visits included meetings with local officials to determine how best to assist these communities in the long-haul goal of rising from the ruins.

He is likewise picking up where his other pro-poor programs and anti-hunger advocacies left off, calling for greater public support for initiatives that can uplift the lives of millions of Filipinos living in sub-human conditions, at a time when successive fuel price increases and the rice price crisis threaten their survival.
Known to many as Erap, he is married to former Senator Dr. Luisa Pimentel by whom he has three children, namely Jinggoy, who is now a senator of the realm, Jacqueline and Jude.

JOJO BINAY

Jejomar "Jojo" Cabauatan Binay (born November 11, 1941) is the current mayor of the Makati City, Philippines. He is also the President of the United Opposition (UNO), President of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) and President of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

Binay studied at the Philippine Normal College Training Department, University of the Philippines Preparatory High School, and earned a bachelor's degree in political science and Bachelor of Laws from UP (LIB). Binay joined the Youth Fraternal Order of DeMolay Loyalty Chapter, Manila, Philippines under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay of the Republic of the Philippines, Sponsored by Free and Accepted Masons of NCR. Mayor Binay receive a DeMolay Leadership award in March 16, 1996 by the Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay for outstanding leadership and DeMolay Legion of Honor (Honorary) given by the Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay on July 13, 1996. In his collegiate, he also joined Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity in the University of the Philippines (Eta Chapter).

He passed the bar exam in 1968, and took masteral subjects in public administration and law in UP and University of Santo Tomas, respectively.

In between jobs and earning degrees, Binay gave lectures and taught law, political science and public administration at the then Philippine College of Commerce (now, Polytechnic University of the Philippines), Philippine Women’s University and St. Scholastica’s College.

Binay gave free legal assistance to poor clients and victims of human rights abuses during the Marcos regime. His passion for protection of human rights developed during his student days in UP, where he was a member of the UP Student Council being University Councilor and was among the acknowledged firebrands of the burgeoning student movement

Binay joined the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) and the August Twenty-One Movement (ATOM), formed shortly after the assassination of Ninoy Aquino in August 1983. He also helped found the Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity and Nationalism, Inc. (MABINI), a group of progressive lawyers that included Senators Lorenzo Tañada, Wigberto Tañada, Rene Saguisag and Joker Arroyo.
For helping political prisoners, many MABINI lawyers, including Binay, were locked up in local jails and military stockades.

After the EDSA Revolution, President Corazon C. Aquino appointed Binay acting mayor of Makati. Binay was Aquino’s first appointed local official.


Binay was later elected mayor of Makati in 1988, during the first free elections under the Aquino administration, and was reelected in 1992 and 1995.

He was also appointed Governor of Metro Manila in 1987 in concurrent capacity and was later elected by his peers in Metro Manila as Chairman of the Metro Manila Authority.

Binay joined pro-democracy forces in thwarting the mutinies. His active role in the defense of the Constitution earned him the nickname “Rambotito” (or little Rambo, after the screen hero), the Outstanding Achievement Medal and a special commendation from President Aquino herself.

In 1998, Binay was appointed Chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) with cabinet rank. He was also appointed as Vice-chairman of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission and Traffic Czar for Metro Manila.

Binay was reelected as mayor of Makati in 2001, winning over actor-TV host and then Vice Mayor Edu Manzano via landslide. In 2004, Binay ran for another term and won again by a landslide against Councilor Oscar Ibay.

He ran for his third and last term as mayor in 2007 and won again by a landslide, beating incumbent Senator and actor Lito Lapid. His margin over Lapid has been considered as the largest margin in a local election in Makati City