At the end of the tunnel

DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
7/3/2006



Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson was reported to have gone into histrionics yesterday, threatening to withdraw his support for Gloria if and when President Joseph E. Estrada is acquitted in the Sandidganbayan trial. In acting this way Chavit is clearly showing that he’s feeling the heat that his world may be finally closing in on him. Besieged would be the word – besieged by the truth staring him in the eye. That he would use such threats shows how little his regard is for law under Gloria’s, but the mighty light of truth is now shining through the end of the tunnel.

By the spiel accompanying his histrionics, Chavit would like the public to believe that President Estrada can never be acquitted of the charges lodged against him unless there’s a “compromise deal” with Gloria. That is the general impression of justice under Gloria’s regime, the present Supreme Court and the whole judicial system controlled by The Firm. But obviously with truth on President Estrada’s side and the skillful legal defense the undeniable facts of the cases have been brought out, and with equally skillful public information Estrada has vindicated himself before the people.

The expected exoneration of President Estrada has reached such a crescendo that the public has been texting around the belief that “Estrada will be released”. I got that from a doctor who is associated with the military and police community. All this optimism has got many people to wonder whether the Sandidganbayan justices are specimen of the long lost, honest and truthful justices that we thought were extinct in the Philippine legal landscape. Some say that with the political trends showing the way out for the Edsa Dos conspirators the justices can now genuinely practice “cold impartiality”.

We have to wait and see the final results of the Sandiganbayan process which may last at the minimum until December, or may even extend beyond that if the prosecution chooses to prolong the process by calling new witnesses again. What is incontrovertible now is that a conviction on any of the charges against Estrada will not be credible to the public, thanks to Chavit’s historionics and the prosecution’s collapse at the cross-examination. The worst some lawyers expect is that the Sandidganbayan may acquit but with extremely derogatory remarks to blacken the triumph of the defense.

A few months ago I didn’t think there was even a shadow of a chance that justice could be served by the justices appointed by the Gloria regime, but now the chance of this happening is better than good. Gloria will have to use physical blackmail to force the Sandiganbayan justice to bow to her will on this case now, but that may backfire even more, the enticements such as appointment of some of the justices to the Supreme Court may not be believable coming from a besigned government like Gloria’s. We’re hoping for the best.

We now turn to the impeachment campaign which incorporates a time-bomb question that few may realize – that a successful culmination of the impeachment process against Gloria will result in another anomaly – installation of a vice-president that is not legitimate either. No election exercise under the shadow of the 2001 power grab and illegal removal of the elected President Estrada can be a legal exercise. Even the late 2004 presidential candidate’s spouse Susan Roces recognized that when she declared that Gloria stole the presidency “not once, but twice”.

The original holder of the title of what was stolen and stolen again does not go to whoever it was stolen from the second time, the original holder still has the right. This column does not obstinately insist on this point for the benefit of President Estrada but for the principle of truth and historical integrity, for the benefit of historical integrity of the nation - matters that Christian Monsod, Raul Concpecion and those in the “One Voice” group and even among many in the impeachment drive do not appreciate. We look to our history to find our destiny, let not our future be a lie moving on.

The end of the tunnel of Estrada’s case may be near but the track ahead is still perilous; some are determined to derail the train, as it has with Chavit Singson (who’ll face hundreds of billions of Tobacco Tax cases eventually) before the whole truth catches up with them: The Big Business elements for taking undue advantage of the people after privatization of utilities and public projects, the Supreme Court justices who committed the original heinous crimes against the Constitution will face prosecution, the corrupt AFP and PNP generals will face the line up, ad nausea.

With visible glee Malacañang through Mike Defensor made much of President Estrada’s disavowal, when asked what he would do if acquitted, of any interest to reclaim his stolen presidency. He said he would just spend his time to help uplift the poor. But it is not for President Estrada to decide although his expression of disinterest in power elevates him to statesmanship. It is the integrity of our nation, the Constitution and the Rule of Law that demands the restoration of the elected leader of the land and his policies of caring for the people. Vox Populi, Vox Dei!

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