Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), a national alliance of people’s organizations that was at the forefront of demonstrations calling for the ouster of President Joseph Estrada, greeted Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s pardon of the convicted former president with derision and condemnation.
Bayan Chairperson Dr. Carol Araullo said, “GMA’s pardon of Erap is part of a cover-up most foul. In the immediate, Malacanang hopes to divert the public’s attention from the latest corruption and bribery scandals using this hasty and unjust pardon. The more sinister objective is to draw Estrada and his followers away from the Oust GMA Movement, entice Estrada to instead utilize the electoral arena to rebuild his political and economic clout and meanwhile allow the Arroyo regime to weather its latest crisis.”
According to Bayan, Mrs. Arroyo has much to answer for in light of the most recent bombshell testimony of Mr. Jose de Venecia III regarding her and her husband’s direct involvement in the $329 billion NBN-ZTE scam. “Worse,” Araullo added, “the suspicion that the Glorietta mall blast was deliberately engineered to create a diversion for the embattled Chief Executive has been bolstered by crude attempts of the government to explain away the deadly explosion as a mere accident contrary to other, more compelling evidence and testimony.”
Fr. Joe Dizon, spokesperson of Plunder Watch, the anti-corruption group that filed the plunder case against Estrada said, “Our consensus is that a presidential pardon will only be acceptable if there is an admission of guilt, expression of remorse and restitution for the damage inflicted on the public good.”
Dizon explained, “It is obvious that the GMA pardon of Erap is a continuation of her disgustingly unprincipled and immoral form of governance and the rotten politics of accommodation and survival. Once more Arroyo has abused presidential authority for self-serving ends.”
Araullo said, “Arroyo still hasn’t wiggled out of the uproar over the brazen bribing of congressmen and local government officials, right at Malacanang Palace, to prevent a genuine impeachment complaint from gaining ground. People are not buying the belated, incredible explanation by Arroyo apologists that the money came from a supposedly generous and cash-rich League of Philippine Provinces.”
The Bayan official predicted that “she will not get away with this latest abuse of power because the people, including Erap’s followers, are fed up with the poverty and misery wrought by the Arroyo regime’s anti-people policies.”###
According to Bayan, Mrs. Arroyo has much to answer for in light of the most recent bombshell testimony of Mr. Jose de Venecia III regarding her and her husband’s direct involvement in the $329 billion NBN-ZTE scam. “Worse,” Araullo added, “the suspicion that the Glorietta mall blast was deliberately engineered to create a diversion for the embattled Chief Executive has been bolstered by crude attempts of the government to explain away the deadly explosion as a mere accident contrary to other, more compelling evidence and testimony.”
Fr. Joe Dizon, spokesperson of Plunder Watch, the anti-corruption group that filed the plunder case against Estrada said, “Our consensus is that a presidential pardon will only be acceptable if there is an admission of guilt, expression of remorse and restitution for the damage inflicted on the public good.”
Dizon explained, “It is obvious that the GMA pardon of Erap is a continuation of her disgustingly unprincipled and immoral form of governance and the rotten politics of accommodation and survival. Once more Arroyo has abused presidential authority for self-serving ends.”
Araullo said, “Arroyo still hasn’t wiggled out of the uproar over the brazen bribing of congressmen and local government officials, right at Malacanang Palace, to prevent a genuine impeachment complaint from gaining ground. People are not buying the belated, incredible explanation by Arroyo apologists that the money came from a supposedly generous and cash-rich League of Philippine Provinces.”
The Bayan official predicted that “she will not get away with this latest abuse of power because the people, including Erap’s followers, are fed up with the poverty and misery wrought by the Arroyo regime’s anti-people policies.”###
