Erap... free as a bird


Oh well… I’m sure you’ve heard the news yesterday. GMA awards executive clemency to Erap… which means, Erap is free! The news stirred a lot of reactions to almost all Filipinos, some are glad, others were disappointed, most are angry. Everywhere you go you hear someone making remarks about it.

My family for one didn’t like GMA’s decision, talking about it while having dinner. It is true that the president has the power to award pardon to a convicted person. However, her decision was so soon that the 6-year trial, for me, i think went to waste. Just imagine how much our government spent for that. Even the friends of my mom were calling just to share their disappointments. My husband’s cellphone kept on beeping the whole afternoon, most of the messages coming from angry friends and blogmates. Well… who wouldn’t be?



Six years ago, we were glued on tv, watching Erap’s senate trial. Even my kids watched. Happy with the way things were going at that time, that finally, a ‘big fish’ is being grilled. After the ‘unopened envelope’ (when the ‘NO’ votes had it) issue, we joined the thousands of people gathered at Edsa tagging along my kids. I wanted them to experience what I experienced in Edsa 1.


But alas! Not even a month after the Erap conviction, now comes the executive clemency. She should have waited, at least for a while ( a year or two maybe). He didn’t even get to go to Muntinlupa! Enjoyed a comfortable “prison” in his rest house in Tanay. It is more like a long vacation for him. It is sad that high officials of our country enjoy these privileges even if they have erred and was convicted. While a young boy was imprisoned in Quezon City jail for stealing a pair of slippers, imagine… a pair of slippers! With this, no official will be afraid of committing such acts. One can easily steal millions of pesos or dollars and still get away with it.



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

minsan habang nakikinig ako ng isang AM radio sa pinas over the internet, sabi ng isang biktima ng massacre sa Pangasinan, ganun daw yata talaga..kapag mahirap ka just tiis, maghintay kung mayroon pa nga bang hustisya pero kapag mayaman ka lalo na at sikat ka.. justice will prevail overnight lang...

yung desisyon ni GMA na to yung magpapaigting ulit ng kamalayan ng mamayan para kumilos laban sa rehimeng Arroyo.

kailangan na kailangan na talagang magkaroon ng isang tunay na transition government na hindi kasali ang alin man sa dalawang malaking grupong pampulitika na patuloy na nambababoy sa pulitika at ekonomiya ng pinas.

Anonymous said...

If it will make you feel better, Erap's a dead man. The administration that freed him will have him killed to draw attention away from the bribery scandal and the broadband scam. Their bombing of Glorietta failed to do it so they needed to release Erap to provide more tsismis type headlines and let the people forget that gma and her cronies were CAUGHT handing out bribes with breakfast. Once Erap tries to rally the people against gma or seek office again, he'll be shot and the admin will blame Vilar or Lacson.

Anonymous said...

it is big news even here in Malaysia

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