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By James Konstantin Galvez, Reporter
Former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada on
Sunday called on the forces behind the three EDSA people power
movements to unite after the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) said it made a mistake in supporting “EDSA
Dos.”
The second people power in 2001 forced Estrada
out of the Palace, and not long after, he was in detention for
plunder. He was pardoned by his successor, President Gloria Arroyo,
after Estrada was convicted in a trial that dragged on for six
years.
“I commend the CBCP in displaying humility and
admitting their error in supporting my ouster,” Estrada said in a
statement. “At least now people are beginning to admit the truth
that EDSA Dos was a conspiracy, a power grab.”
Estrada added that former Chief Justice Cecilia
Muñoz Palma was right in saying EDSA Dos was an instance when the
rule of law was thrown out and the rule of force prevailed.
Earlier, the Manila archdiocese vice chancellor,
Fr. Sid Marinay, wrote in an article that the conference now
realizes that EDSA Dos weakened, instead of strengthening, the
country’s political structures simply because “it did not wait
for the verdict of the Senator-judges in the impeachment case
against President Estrada.” The priest was referring to the
impeachment trial of Estrada, where senators stood as judges.
Marinay added that EDSA Dos did not respect the
rule of law and did not give the duly instituted political
institution a chance to assert itself and prove its strength to
handle such a political turmoil.
Asked if he felt vindicated, Estrada said, “It
is not my vindication that is important. What is important is that
we come together now to help solve the various crises that is
plaguing our nation.”
“With this realization, perhaps the forces
behind Edsa 1, 2 and 3 can come together to find a solution to help
the people, especially the poor, overcome the different crises that
our nation faces today,” he added.
Estrada spokesman Margaux Salcedo said the
former president believes that more important than his vindication
is finding justice for the Filipino masses, because they face the
most hardships.
“The people were deprived of the leadership of
the man they overwhelmingly elected when Estrada was ousted, and now
they are made to suffer by the corruption in the administration that
took over,” Salcedo said. “The former president feels for the
Filipino masses, as he always has. So he is willing to work with and
has extended his hand even to those who plotted against him for the
greater causes of alleviating poverty and helping the poor cope with
the increasing prices of oil, energy and rice.”
The first people power in 1986 toppled
then-President Ferdinand Marcos. The third one happened in May 2001,
when the newly installed Arroyo government repelled Estrada
sympathizers who violently protested his removal from office. EDSA
refers to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, a major thoroughfare in
Metro Manila, where protests took place.
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