MANILA, 13 September 2007 — On the eve of the announcement of a court verdict on his plunder case, disgraced former President Joseph Estrada said yesterday he was prepared to spend the rest of his life in prison, claiming that the case was politically motivated
In a taped message smuggled to a radio station yesterday, Estrada said he believed the public has already decided he is not guilty of the corruption charges, but the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan may decide differently.
“I have been in detention for six years, four months and 17 days,” he said. “But because of your prayers, help and love I have survived this heavy burden.
“Whatever the verdict of the Sandiganbayan, I am prepared because I have already been acquitted by the people,” he said.
“My personal freedom is no longer important,” Estrada said, stressing that his only wish now was for the Philippines to rise out of poverty.
The court is to hand down its verdict today, ending a bitter chapter in Philippine politics that began when the former movie star was ousted from power in 2001, a move which led to violent street protests.
Estrada, 70, stands accused of stealing over $80 million mainly through tax kickbacks and payoffs from illegal gambling barons.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment after the government abolished the death penalty.
He has denied the allegations, accusing the business elite, his successor Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the powerful Roman Catholic church of conspiring against him because of his populist platform.
Estrada said yesterday he had twice rejected offers from Arroyo to clear his name, in exchange for his voluntary departure from the country.
“I told them that I will never leave the country and I am prepared to face the charges against me,” Estrada said.
“Because of this, I was not only arrested and jailed, I was also humiliated and charged with a non-bailable offense of plunder,” he said, adding that he was confident he would be acquitted in a “fair, free justice system.”
Authorities at the New Bilibid Prison, the national penitentiary located south of Manila, said they were preparing a cell block for the former president at the medium-security compound in case he was sent there.
Estrada has said he will not ask Arroyo for a presidential pardon. In any case, he would not be eligible to ask for a pardon until the sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court.
Troop Deployment
Metropolitan Manila police chief Reynaldo Varilla said half of the 15,000 police force of the national capital would be deployed in areas where pro-Estrada supporters were likely to hold protest rallies.
About 1,400 policemen will be deployed around the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City, where hundreds of pro-Estrada supporters were expected to gather today.
Military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon placed troops on high alert to ensure calm following the announcement of the verdict, with extra forces placed on standby in military bases around Manila to aid police if necessary.
“There might be groups that might create trouble or those who would not accept the decision by the anti-graft court. There are also groups that might take advantage of the situation to carry out actions to destabilize the government.”
Schools near the court complex were to be closed ahead of the verdict.
The court had initially banned live TV coverage of the verdict, but yesterday the Supreme Court overturned the decision following an appeal by the Philippine broadcasting association.
Precarious Situation
Arroyo has been advised by her security staff to remain inside the presidential palace in Manila as the verdict is read.
Analysts say Arroyo, who is seen by many of the majority poor as an illegitimate president, is in a precarious situation.
If Estrada is found guilty, she risked violent street protests that could undermine confidence in the country’s fragile economy, they say.
But if Estrada is cleared, it would mean she has been ruling without a mandate.
In 2001, thousands of Estrada supporters tried to lay siege to the presidential palace to reinstate him.
Arroyo declared a state of emergency and called in troops to quash what she later said was an uprising aimed at toppling the government. Four people died in that incident, while over 100 were arrested. — With input from Agencies
