Estrada pardon

I am not surprised or disgusted that former President Joseph Estrada was pardoned a few minutes ago. In fact, I think the country has come out of the prosecution of its former head of state quite well. This being the Philippines, there is never a final act, but the carefully worded pardon read out by acting executive secretary Bunye earlier this evening seemed to me something of a resolution (not a word we can often use here in the 7,000 islands) and the best that could be expected in an imperfect world.

I have a lot of sympathy for the opponents of clemency. If I were a Filipino, I guess I would be outraged that a criminal who was sentenced to life in prison should be out (and no doubt living the high life) a matter of a weeks after his conviction. If “the law applies to all, or not at all”, in the immortal words of Estrada supporter Fred Lim, it would be hard to accept today’s decision.

But it doesn’t. It’s an unfair cruel word and if you are looking for an untainted form of justice I don’t think you started in the right country.

Let’s look at the positives:

The Philippines ousted a corrupt president from office.

He was incarcerated for nearly seven years.

He received due process and the trial at the Sandiganbayan was fair, open, and widely reported.

The verdict was the correct one.

The option of an amnesty, which I railed against a few weeks ago, was rejected.

The pardon was not absolute and did not extend to Erap’s goods and bank accounts.

His political career is over.

Justice has been done, after a fashion.

Comments

[Sidney]

People who love sausage and people who believe in justice should never watch either of them being made.
-Otto Bismark-

[cvj]

i'm surprised, you seem to be taking the pardon quite well.

[anm]

Do i have to say 'Mabuhay' to that? Cos i think am gonna gag.

[torn]

cvj and anm -- I started a reply but it got too long. See next post.