SEN. Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday accused Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada of “betraying” his father, former President Joseph Estrada, so he and his mother could be acquitted of the plunder case filed against them.
In his second privilege speech in two weeks, Lacson also accused Senator Estrada of demanding from a jueteng operator in Baguio City half of the P1 million payola his younger brother was reportedly receiving every month.
Lacson took a swipe at the younger Estrada a week after the latter called him a secret ally of the Arroyo administration.
Earlier, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile delivered a privilege speech defending former President Estrada and said he would support Estrada if he ran for president.
“With full conviction, I have made a commitment to my dear friend, the former President, that should he decide to run for President despite the formidable legal and political obstacles that await him, I will be with him. Sasamahan ko siya,” Enrile said. (Read Lacson’s and Enrile’s speeches below.)
In his latest speech, Lacson disclosed a 2006 phone conversation in which the younger Estrada asked former presidential pal Charlie “Atong” Ang not to implicate him and his mother in the plunder case upon his extradition from the U.S.
“Si daddy na lang, kaya niya namang i-depensa ang sarili niya. May ambisyon pa ako. Magpe-presidente pa ako. Ako ang bahala sa ‘yo,” Lacson quoted Senator Estrada as saying.
The full text of Lacson’s privilege speech:
Prosecution or Persecution?
I rise again today on a matter of personal and collective privilege.
On several occasions, I took the floor of this august hall on very important issues affecting national interest.
Jose Pidal. Hello Garci. The NBN-ZTE Broadband Deal. The Fertilizer Scam. Jueteng Anomaly. The C5 Extension Road Project Double Appropriation. The Pork Barrel Anomalies. Plus many others, the latest of which talked about Joseph Ejercito- Estrada in “Dalawang Mukha ng Sining.”
I did not have to seek out most of these anomalies. They came to me. The easiest and most convenient thing to do was to ignore them. Wala akong magiging kaaway. Tahimik pa sana ang aking buhay. But that would be betraying my oath to the Filipino people as an elected Senator of the Republic.
Perhaps no incumbent senator has had the multiple displeasure of being vilified, his reputation assailed repeatedly than this humble representation. If this is the price to pay for fearlessly contributing my share in the fight against graft and corruption in government, then so be it.
If by exposing people in high places and those in the corridors of power would mean creating bitter enemies or losing friends thus making my life miserable, I am willing to pay that price.
Which is why I was aghast at how the gentleman from San Juan, in his privilege speech in this same hall last week accused this representation of being an administration ally, simply because I exposed the true character of his father, the former president.
Everyone and his uncle know that this representation does not receive any pork barrel. I can face any cabinet official or agency head, any executive of any government financial institution or GFI, or government-owned and controlled corporation, or GOCC and before everyone in this august chamber, declare without hesitation, that I have not asked them for any government project for myself or for financial advantage.
The gentleman from San Juan also mentioned that sometime in December of last year, one of the lawyers of former P/Sr Supt Mancao sought an audience with him and requested financial assistance for his client because I have allegedly abandoned Mancao and my other former men in the defunct PAOCTF.
I would like to make a brief comment and confession –
Simula pa noong 2001 magpahanggang ngayon na ako ay nagtatalumpati sa inyong harapan, ay patuloy kong sinusustentuhan ang mga pamilya ng dati kong tauhan na nakakulong sa Manila City Jail. Kasama na dito ang mga pamilya ni dating P/Sr Supt Michael Ray Aquino, Cezar Mancao at Glen Dumlao, hanggang ang dalawa ay napauwi dito sa Pilipinas kamakailan, ay tuloy-tuloy ang financial assistance ko sa kanilang lahat sa abot ng aking makakayanan at sa tulong na rin ng mga taong nailigtas namin sa mga kidnappers o natulungan habang ako ay naglilingkod pa bilang isang alagad ng batas. Hindi dahil may kinalaman ako at may dapat akong pagtakpan sa kasong Dacer-Corbito, kung hindi sa dahilang sila ay mga dati kong tauhan at naaawa ako sa kanilang pamilya na nangangailangan ng tulong kaya minarapat kong sila ay tulungan.
Samantalang ang taong maaaring may malaking kinalaman sa pagdurusa ng mga dati naming tauhan, kahit isang singkong duling ay walang itinulong sa kanila magpahanggang ngayon! Ako po lahat ang sumasalo sa problemang wala naman akong kinalaman.
That plain. That simple, Mr President.
Before I tackle the Dacer-Corbito double murder case, please allow me to tell you some short stories about a son, a brother and an elected senator of the Republic.
The following are excerpts from a telephone conversation that transpired between two male persons, both in the United States at that time, one in Los Angeles, California, the other, in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of the persons on the line was about to be extradited to testify in a plunder case then pending trial at the Sandiganbayan involving a long-time friend and former president of his country.
The original charge sheet included the father, the mother and a son. Hence:
(Conversation between two male persons on or about summertime of 2006 in America)
Voice Nr 1: Pare, ano ba plano mo pag-uwi mo?
Voice Nr 2: Pare, ‘di ko alam eh.
Voice Nr 1: Pare, kung uuwi ka… kung ano man ang plano mo, huwag mo na kaming idamay ni mommy; si daddy na lang…. kaya niya namang i-depensa ang sarili niya… May ambisyon pa ako. Magpre-presidente pa ako… ako ang bahala sa ‘yo.
Voice Nr 2: Bahala na. Di ko alam pag-uwi ko….
Of course we now know that the father was convicted, while the mother and son were acquitted.
The man in Las Vegas could not believe what the man in Los Angeles told him. But the fact that the source of this phone conversation is not only reliable but unimpeachable, I myself could not believe this story.
The next story is about two brothers, both presidential sons at that time, and a jueteng operator in Baguio City. The elder brother, after being informed that a younger brother was receiving a monthly jueteng payola of P1M, called the attention of the jueteng operator and told him, thus:
“‘Yung P1M na ibinibigay mo sa kapatid ko, hatiin mo… sa akin mo ibigay ang kalahati… Baka gamitin lang pambili ng drugs yung pera.”
Aside from that additional P500,000 sequestered from the younger brother, the elder brother had a regular monthly payola of P800,000 from another jueteng operator from Bulacan, P1M from Chavit Singson and unspecified amount from yet another gambling lord from Pampanga.
Talk about betrayal, Mr. President.
The third story involves an incumbent Cabinet secretary and an elected senator of the Republic. Hence:
“Sec, natalo ako ng P10M. Bigyan mo ako ng project bukas.”
The following day, a member of the senator’s staff would call on the secretary to follow up on the project. I had no time to check if a project was given, and if so, how much.
Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, the three short stories that I shared with you only show the rotten moral values of that son, brother and public official.
Now, let me go back to the issue at hand.
Multiple theories have been imagined, crafted and spread with impunity to show that I had something to do with the twin murders. Behind it all are scheming minions of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration and lately joined by the very same person who, along with this representation and four or five other personalities were named by former Police Sr Supt Cezar Mancao in his open court testimony last September 3, 2009.
He is former President Joseph Ejercito-Estrada, recently convicted for plunder but immediately pardoned by the incumbent president.
In his informal talks with some of our common friends, he would maliciously albeit with feigned ignorance ask, “Ano ba ang galit ni Ping kay Dacer?” or, “Bakit kaya galit na galit si Ping kay Bubby Dacer?” Dapat ay sarili niya mismo ang tanungin niya at siguradong alam niya ang mga kasagutan doon.
Mr. Estrada also had the temerity to issue a press statement attributing to me supervision of Oplan or Operation Delta which according to Mr Mancao was designed to neutralize Salvador “Bubby” Dacer. Mabuti pa siya, alam pala niya na may Oplan o Operation Delta. Samantalang ako, sa mga pahayagan at kamakailan ko lang nalaman na may ganun palang operation plan.
The Swiss philosopher, Henri Frederic Amiel once said, “Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be equally outraged by silence.”
Following the arrest and extradition of Cezar Mancao and Glen Dumlao, the media have been following this story like a telenovela.
In the midst of all these events was the unexpected relief of the erstwhile Secretary of the Department of Justice, the very talkative Raul Gonzalez. My Malacañang sources informed me that the Palace was not happy with the way the irrepressible Gonzalez telegraphed through the media what could have been a clockwork effort by former Presidential Security Group head, now ISAFP Chief Romeo Prestoza, in convincing Mancao to what he himself testified on cross examination by defense lawyers as “fabricated evidence” to implicate me in this case.
Thus, on August 12, 2008, Cezar Mancao was interviewed over radio station DZMM. Following are the excerpts from the transcript of that interview:
Q: (Ted Failon) – Dacer-Corbito case, pending arrest warrant, nililigawan ka raw ni Col Prestoza?
A: (Mancao) – September nagsimula yun. Tinawagan niya ako dito sa bahay na ito, itong teleponong gamit ngayon, nagpakilala siyang siya si Romy Prestoza, bagong halal na PSG chief sa panahong yan. Binigay niya sa akin ang kanyang cell phone number at nag-offer sa akin.
Q: (Ted Failon) – Anong offer?
A: (Mancao) – After siya magpakilala, sinabihan niya akong siya ay bagong halal na PSG chief. Sabi niya masyado raw maingay si Senator Lacson, parang asong ulol, gusto niya patahimikin. Gusto niya akong gamitin, in-offer-an nila ako at buong pamilya ko na manirahan sa Singapore. Lahat na kailangan ko, provide nila…”
Earlier, on August 6, 2008, Mancao was also interviewed by GMA-7 reporter, Maki Pulido. Hence:
“Inalok ako tsaka buong pamilya ko na manirahan sa Singapore. Bigyan ng kung ano, kailangan namin talagang kung ano kailangan ha, in general. Tsaka ito suportahan kami…”
“Hindi naman namin napagusapan ang detalye pero in general para sirain, para manahimik na si Lacson, gamitin daw ako.”
“Iniipit na ako eh, alam mo masyado na ‘tong panggigipit. Ayoko na sanang sumali-sali sa ganyan Maki eh. Ayoko na sanang pa-interview pero sana naman ‘wag na masyadong idamay pa ako diyan sa gulo ng pulitika.”
Cezar Mancao informed me of his conversation with now Maj. Gen. Prestoza through text messages with an assurance that he would stick to the truth and nothing more. I have kept some of those text messages in the folder of my cell phone. I would like to share the same with you, Mr President, distinguished colleagues. Thus –
Message details, from – 0019546732576 (Mancao’s Florida number). Date: 01/04/2008. Time 07:31. Type: text message.
The text message reads:
“Ur ryt,sir! Maricar (Mancao’s wife) said it too.I was hoping i can contribute something 2 propel u at d end.Rest assured of my loyalty.I will (sic) desist d temptattn.Sleep soundly,SIR.”
On several occasions, Cezar Mancao had confided to some people when asked pointblank if this representation had anything to do with the Dacer-Corbito case. He told Ms. Teresita Ang-See that I had no participation, direct or otherwise, when the latter asked him that question sometime in 2003 in the US. He likewise told Malaya columnist, Mr. Lito Banayo the same thing when they saw each other, also in the US sometime in April 2006. And lately, after he had already returned to the country, he repeated the same assertion to a common friend that I had nothing to do with the crime being investigated by the DOJ.
To all these, I now appeal to Cezar Mancao – please abide by the ideals of our Alma Mater, the Philippine Military Academy and have the courage to speak only the truth, both in private conversations as well as before the court and in any formal investigation. I have suffered long enough before the bar of public opinion. The anxiety and anguish keep on building up on my family and my siblings. My parents both died without being given the pleasure of seeing their son vindicated.
Why Cezar Mancao succumbed and decided to sign his February 14, 2009 affidavit is a matter between him and God. I am still hopeful he has not forgotten what God told us through Moses: “Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
In Mancao’s court testimony and Dumlao’s sworn affidavit, they narrate that in the early part of October 2000, they went to the office of then P/Sr Supt Michael Ray Aquino to ask him what the so-called “Operation Delta” was all about. Again, excerpts from that supposed conversation as per narration made by Glen Dumlao in his first and handwritten sworn affidavit reveal the following:
“When we reached the office of P/Supt Aquino, P/Supt Mancao asked: Noy, ano ba ang special operations na ito? P/Supt Aquino answered: Kay kuwan yan, Mr Dacer. OK na yan sa Malacanang, pinag-uusapan na yan – Pinag-uusapan na yan. P/Supt Mancao again queried: Clear ba ito sa Boss natin, kay 71? (Senator Lacson is a member of PMA class 1971). P/Supt Aquino answered: Sila (Malacanang) na daw bahala sa kanya.. They (Malacañang) said they will take care of informing him (Lacson).”
My other set of Malacañang informants also told me that Raul Gonzalez tried to convince his President to extend his stint as DOJ Secretary by at least two months by telling PGMA that he intended to resolve the case against me in sixty days record time to which, Mrs Arroyo retorted in her usual “taray” fashion by saying, “Eh, yun na nga eh!…”
Not known to many who are following this case, Cezar Mancao and Glen Dumlao, to-date have executed three sworn statements each. In this case, the contents of the affidavits are modified at each turn, and it would take some patience and perhaps extra-professional expertise to separate the grains of truth from the specks of dirt in the testimonies given by both affiants.
All of the aforementioned affidavits do not contain any statement linking me to the crime, except the one executed by Cezar Mancao on February 14, 2009. in the other affidavits, statements made by Mancao and Dumlao even exculpate me from the crime, attesting to the fact that indeed, I had no knowledge much less authorization for its execution.
In the August 27, 2009 banner story of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the legal counsel for Mancao, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio said that in a court hearing, his client identified me as the one who carried out President Estrada’s order to abduct and kill Bubby Dacer. The official transcript of the records of the court proceeding flatly belies Atty. Topacio’s statement before the media who interviewed him. That made me think – Is this what the lawyer and the prosecutors wanted Mancao to say at the hearing, in accordance with a scripted scenario?
Whether Atty Topacio made those statements out of recklessness or out of malice is of minor importance. What is more significant is that it ruined my reputation both as a senator and as a citizen of this country. By making such untrue and malicious statement to the press, Atty. Topacio clearly violated Rule 13.02 under Canon 13 of the Code of Professional Responsibility that states: “A lawyer shall not make public statements in the media regarding a pending case tending to arouse public opinion for or against a party.”
When reminded that his reckless statement can make him subject of disbarment proceedings, Atty. Topacio conveniently blamed the media by claiming that he was misquoted. Kung sa o dalawang reporter lang sana ang nakarinig ng kanyang sinabi, baka umubra pa ang kanyang palusot.
I am almost tempted to use more colorful language for Atty Topacio’s behavior and demeanor as a member of the bar, but I would rather express my condemnation in formal administrative and criminal complaints that I will file against him.
Atty Topacio’s cheap media propaganda tactic is simply the latest of many insidious efforts to ruin my reputation or implicate me in a criminal case by resorting to falsehoods.
Our colleague, the gentleman from San Juan City, quoted a statement issued by the same Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, in effect saying that in his “honest opinion as a lawyer of Cezar Mancao, he believes that Senator Lacson is the only one being directly linked by his client to the twin murders.” To all the lawyers in this august chamber, since when does the opinion of the lawyer of a witness in a criminal case carry weight and probative value?
It is my humble submission that the said opinion is at its best, a self-serving, uncalled for remark from an officer of the court. Worse, it is unethical, even criminal.
Only last Friday, September 18, 2009, at around 2 o’clock in the afternoon, Glen Dumlao was visited by a lawyer inside his DOJ safehouse who conveyed a message from the same Atty Ferdinand Topacio to convince him to corroborate the affidavit executed by a newfound false labandera witness that I had a shouting match with Mr Dacer in a beach resort in Batangas. Finding Glen Dumlao unconvinced to perjure himself and cooperate with them, the lawyer said:
“Papaano ‘yan? Iipitin nila ang reinstatement mo sa PNP kung hindi mo susundin ang gusto nila. To which, Dumlao replied, “Eh di hindi na lang ako magpupulis. Magsasaka na lang ako.” The lawyer added, “Mukhang nagkakasabwatan na sina Topacio at Erap.”
Mukha nga, Mr President. Kasi, ang bilis makakuha ng statement of support ang kasamahan nating senador na taga San Juan galing kay Atty Topacio.
Ano ba namang klaseng mga abugado ito, Mr President? Are they not aware of the crime of “subornation of perjury”?
In fact just last Sunday afternoon, Atty. Topacio reported to the former president at his Polk Street residence, where other prominent lawyers of Mr. Estrada were in attendance. One of them could not believe what he saw, for Mr. Topacio is lawyering for witness Mancao, not Mr. Estrada. So shocked that this prominent member of the Bar informed me.
Mr. Topacio was even bragging to a semi-retired publicist, once press undersecretary to the former president, how he lambasted me in a press forum earlier, as if reporting, ‘mission accomplished’ and asking ‘the envelope please.’
This administration and its cohorts will stop at nothing to deliver misery at my front door.
This utter disregard for the truth is best exemplified in the following excerpts from Glen Dumlao’s affidavit dated May 20, 2003. At the time of this conversation, he was under the custody of the PNP starting second quarter of 2001:
“I experienced my greatest fear when I was brought to the office of ISAFP Chief Col (Victor) Corpus at 7:30 am on December 17, 2002.
During the meeting, Col Corpus did almost all of the talking like a mad man. Col Corpus told me that – ‘sige, magdiretsahan tayo, kung di ka tutulong sa amin, ibibigay ka naming (sic) kay Ping para patayin ka na. Ayaw namin ang katotohanan. Kung amin ka, dapat total support at i-pin down natin si Ping.
Bibigyan ka namin ng magandang buhay at posisyon. Andito lahat ang makakatulong sa ‘yo. Pero kung hindi, magkakaleche-leche na ang buhay mo. Nagkakaintindihan ba tayo? Ibigay ninyo sa aking custody ang taong ito. kasi play safe siya eh, takot kay Lacson. Dito sa ISAFP, I promise you, dalawang araw lang, ang dami ng ikakanta yan.”
Incidentally, I was informed by my lawyers that in a hearing of an ongoing libel case that I filed against Victor Corpus and other parties, he apologized in open court for vilifying me publicly, using characters like Ador Mawanay, Mary “Rosebud” Ong, Devnani and others, mostly in public hearings conducted by the Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs chaired by the late Sen Robert Barbers.
Glen Dumlao was subjected to threats and intimidation while in police custody and even now that he is under the protective custody of the DOJ. He suffered mental, emotional, psychological and even physical pressure. When he did not give in, he was promised a good position and comfortable life. In spite of these, he consistently refused to perjure himself and sacrifice the truth for the sake of justice that has been eluding the Dacer and Corbito families. I cannot help but admire his character. His Alma Mater, the Philippine National Police Academy can be truly proud of him despite the confessions he publicly made of his past sins.
My own Alma Mater, the Philippine Military Academy is not short of alumni who truly and continuously live up to the ideals of the institution and our motto — Courage, Integrity and Loyalty in the face of difficult odds or the temptation of financial benefits. Nothing less must be expected of a fellow cavalier like Cezar Mancao.
Mr. President, I have been a law enforcer before I became a senator. I uphold the law. I arrest criminals. I know that I must fulfill my oath of office and follow only legal orders.
Kung sa jueteng nga na bukod sa may milyon milyong piso akong matatanggap bawat buwan at may basbas at utos pa ang Commander-in-Chief, hindi ako sumunod o umayon, sa murder pa kaya?
Last Friday, I read in the news quoting Atty. Demetrio Custodio Jr. who represents the Dacer family as legal counsel that a certain “labandera” volunteered to testify that this representation had a shouting match with Mr Dacer in a beach resort in Batangas one week before he was abducted. On the same page, Atty Custodio revealed that the Dacer family is willing to accept me as a state witness if I divulge information pointing to the real mastermind behind the twin murders.
The “labandera” story appears to be a small-minded gambit to make me accept the offer. Thanks but no thanks. We must not allow our search for the truth to be colored by personal motivations nor sidetracked by idiocy.
In the first place, I was not a close acquaintance of Mr Dacer – certainly not close enough to spend time with him in a beach resort, be it in Batangas or elsewhere. I hate beaches as a matter of fact. And I don’t remember having gone to any beach in Batangas in my entire life.
In the second place, I was not a participant nor had any involvement in the crime, so how would I qualify as a state witness?
It obviously appears that the “labandera” story was concocted to support yet another theory behind the crime – that I had a personal motive to harm Mr Dacer.
What I can assure the Dacer and Corbito families is that I am willing to even sit down with them privately and share VOLUNTARILY AND UNCONDITIONALLY whatever I know about the abduction and murder of Mr Dacer and his driver. This representation, Mr President is as interested as they are to finally bring the real mastermind of this dastardly crime before the bar of justice.
Both my parents died last year. I know how it feels to lose our loved ones. The Dacer and Corbito families suffered their loss under extra-ordinary circumstances. I fully understand their grief and frustration that justice for their parents remain elusive up to now.
The objective quest for truth and justice must be paramount.
The guilty must answer for his crime. The innocent must be unburdened by baseless accusations and persecution.
Let me tell you another story.
The great Thomas Edison was at one time conducting a series of experiments. A laboratory assistant, who was impatient with the results so far, told Mr Edison “Sir, the last one was our 700th experiment and so far, we have not been successful.” To which the great man of science replied, “Good. That means we have eliminated 700 ways that will lead us to nowhere.”
I hope our Department of Justice with our zealous prosecutors will get a cue from Mr. Edison. I am not suggesting that the DOJ try 700 ways to get to the bottom of the Dacer-Corbito double-murder case. But to include me in the list of persons to answer for this heinous crime, simply because I am one very vocal critic of this administration impedes the wheels of justice, leads it astray and nowhere near the truth. We do not have 700 suspects in this case, so the process of elimination will be much easier and quicker than in the case of Mr Edison’s experiments. It is basic in any crime investigation to look at three simple elements – motive, instrument and opportunity. They should first ask who has all three and they will not go wrong.
This will bring me to another curious case – the disappearance of Mr. Edgar Bentain, the video operator of Pagcor who came out with a footage of then candidate Vice President Estrada gambling in the casino.
This much I can share, in the meantime, to our distinguished colleagues, the family of Mr Bentain and the Filipino people. Sometime in the middle of January 1999, one day after Edgar Bentain was abducted somehwere in Roxas Blvd and killed somewhere in Laguna, a police officer, still active at that time, went to Polk St in Greenhills and reported compliance with a “mission accomplished.” The house occupant simply said, “Sige, sabihin mo sa mga bata, maraming salamat.”
I did not identify the criminal simply because I did not have any participation or direct personal knowledge of these criminal activities while they were taking place years ago. My investigation is ongoing even as I speak today. But I have gathered enough facts and data to provide the useful leads to unmask the mastermind’s true identity and his active participation including other persons who were barely mentioned in the conduct of investigation.
True to my expectations, many are those who questioned my motives or the veracity of my statements. But to-date, my statements before this august chamber were sufficiently and independently corroborated and affirmed by other parties. My assertions appeal to logic and common sense. They can stand the test of truth.
Why speak only now? To me, the more relevant and all-important question is, DID I SPEAK THE TRUTH?
To anyone who dares challenge the truthfulness of my assertion, let him speak up now.
There can be a thousand reasons for why, how and when truth will find a way to stand out but when it does, we must welcome it with open arms, instead of questioning its timing and motive.
Cold reason, not heated passion or blind emotion spoken through fiery but empty rhetoric will enlighten our path to truth and justice for Mr Dacer and Mr. Corbito and their grieving families.
Justice for them will be justice for all Filipinos.
Let me end this with some excerpts from a TV interview with Glen Dumlao.
The full text of Enrile’s speech:
Mr. President and my colleagues, I rise today on a matter of personal privilege. I do so as a Senator of the Republic who sought and obtained the people’s mandate in the Senatorial Elections in 2004 under the banner of the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino.
Last week, I sat at that exalted seat of the Senate President and listened with deep pain, a heavy heart, and a troubled mind as I presided over the session when my friend and colleague, the Hon. Panfilo Lacson, delivered his searing privilege speech. He rendered his own personal account and portrayal of the person and character of Former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, the founder and leader of my Party, the PMP.
The next day, the Hon. Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, stood and took the Floor, and properly so, to defend the name and honor of his father.
I could not help but feel saddened about how an old friendship has come to such a bitter and rancorous end and to witness the ensuing acrimony that rages to this day.
Senator Lacson has expressed that it pained him to make his revelations which, he says, is aimed “to unmask” the “real President Joseph “ERAP” Estrada.” But I am sure that the heaviness he felt in his heart then could not compare with the pain that must have gripped the President’s own son, whose father was being subjected to such grave and serious accusations right in his presence and in the halls of this august Chamber.
I am not certain why and how things have come to this. And I am not alone with that uncertainty. There are many questions that have been boggling the minds of the public since this controversy started.
Mr. President, I do not stand today to attribute any ill-will or any ill motive to the Gentleman from Cavite who not only served under President Erap Estrada, but more than that, was also once known to have enjoyed the full trust and confidence of the former President.
I am sure that before Senator Lacson launched this serial attacks against President Estrada, he knew that his motives would be doubted, questioned, and made the subject of many speculations, both favorable and unsavory. Knowing Senator Lacson, I am also sure he is prepared to address these doubts and these questions.
Precisely, he prefaced his speech by explaining that he is doing this out of a sense of moral duty to the public and the nation. His call was for God to save this country from Joseph Ejercito Estrada. With that call, I believe it is fair and safe to conclude that Senator Lacson’s so-called “revelations” against his former President and Commander-in Chief was a serious and deliberate effort to dissuade the public from electing President Erap back to the highest position in the land.
I must give credit to Senator Lacson for being unequivocal about his intentions and for going straight to the point, his ultimate point, which is that Erap must not be allowed to lead this nation again.
But since Senator Lacson spoke about who he claims “the real Erap Estrada” is, I hope he and my colleagues will not begrudge me for feeling compelled to speak about the side of President Erap I have personally witnessed in our long years of association and friendship.
Ang sasabihin ko po ngayon ay yun lamang sariling karanasan at kaalaman ko ukol sa katauhan ng Dating Pangulong Joseph Ejercito Estrada.
Dalawa lamang kami ni Erap sa oposisyon na pinalad na mahirang na Senador noong 1987. Ang dalawampu’t dalawa pang Senador ay pawang mga kandidato ng yumaong Pangulong Corazon C. Aquino. Limang taon kaming magkatabi ng upuan noon sa Senado.
Sa buong panahong iyon, Si Erap ay hindi ko kailanman nakitang nag-mayabang o nagmarunong. Nagtatanong siya sa akin tungkol sa mga usapin at kalakaran sa Senado sapagka’t bago lang siya at walang karanasan bilang isang mambabatas.
Hindi man siya mahilig magtalumpati, at madalas nilalait ang kanyang pagsasalita ng Ingles, nakita ko ang kanyang pagiging isang totoong tao. Magalang, mapagkumbaba at hindi mapagkunwari.
Hindi matatawaran ang kanyang pagiging tunay na maka-tao at maka-mahirap. Pinagtatawanan siya noon sa kanyang isinulong na “Carabao Bill”. Ngayon, ang ating mga magsasaka at ang bansa ay nakikinabang ng husto sa “Carabao Center” sa Gitnang Luzon na naitatag sa pamamagitan ni Erap.
As a Senator, Joseph Estrada proved to be a true nationalist. He, along with eleven other Senators, myself included, voted for the abrogation of the U.S. Bases Agreement despite the strong lobby for its extension led by no less than President Aquino.
While we were praised by many as “The Magnificent Twelve,” we were also denounced and branded as “The Dirty Dozen” by those who wanted to maintain America’s military presence in the Philippines. In hindsight, if not for that bold and historic vote, we would not have seen the rise of Subic and Clark as living examples of what we can, on our own, achieve as a sovereign nation.
In 1990, when I was arrested for what the Supreme Court eventually declared to be a non-existent crime of “Rebellion Complexed with Murder” right on the Floor of the Old Senate, Erap was the only one among my colleagues who dared and offered to accompany me as I rode the van with the arresting officers led by then Director of the National Bureau of Investigation, former Gen. Alfredo Lim, on the way to the NBI compound where I was booked and temporarily detained.
Sinabi ni Erap sa akin: “Manong, sasama ho ako. Mahirap na baka may masamang mangyari sa inyo. Kababaril lang ho kay Pepe Oyson sa isang police van. Mabuti pa samahan ko kayo.”
And so he did ride with me in the van. Erap stayed long at the NBI, drove away the media who wanted to capture and feast on my image being fingerprinted and photographed as a criminal. He did not leave until he was sure I was safe.
I could never forget this most sincere gesture of concern and kindness which Erap readily extended to me during one of my darkest days, when many of my so-called friends chose to keep their distance from me.
I cannot claim to know everything about President Erap or to know him as keenly and intimately as perhaps, Senator Lacson does. While I have known him for a long time, I became intimately close to him only fairly recently.
This was around the time when many who he thought were his true friends either turned against him or abandoned him. On the other hand, those who despised him from the beginning, for he did not belong to the self-righteous elitist segments of this society, were relentless in their efforts to humiliate him and oust him from Malacanang fast and quick.
Joseph Ejercito Estrada is by no means a perfect man. He has his own flaws, just like all of us. To be honest, I believe some of his best traits may have been the very ones that eventually worked against him. For one, he was too trusting. It is good to trust but, perhaps, he trusted the wrong people. He was carefree in his ways, but this otherwise desirable trait did not serve him well because he occupied no less than the highest position in the land.
He was generous with his friends, but his generosity was exploited by those who were never really his friends in the first place. In many ways, he had a simplistic view of things and he did not grasp the complications and nuances of his conduct in relation to the sensitivity of his position as President of the land.
He was also very transparent, many times, to a fault. Against all well-meaning advice, he openly showed his anger and he answered questions from the media frankly and candidly. His show of indignation, whether righteous or out of his sensitive nature, earned him the ire of the powerful and influential media.
But that is Erap. What you see is what you get. He was unpretentious and spontaneous with his reactions. Being the colorful character that he is, he made good copy for the press, but he was, for the most part, harshly criticized and ridiculed.
President Erap and I have had our own differences in the past.
May mga panahon na alam kong nagdamdam siya sa akin. Ito ay nangyari noong nasa Kongreso ako at nagtalumpati laban sa nakita kong pagmamalabis ng Presidential Anti-Crime Commission (PACC) na noo’y pinamumunuan niya habang siya ay Pangalawang Pangulo.
Sumama ang loob niya dahil bilang kaibigan, inasahan niya na bago sana ako nagsalita at nag-akusa, sana ay binigyan ko muna siya ng pagkakataong magpaliwanag. Naunawaan ko ito. At nang ako ay humingi ng paumanhin, agad niya akong pinatawad.
When he won the Presidential elections in 1998, before he was formally proclaimed, Erap, with all magnanimity and humility, sought me out at the Interconinental Hotel to shake my hand and even asked me for some advice.
I was deeply humbled by his gesture because I ran against him and I was one of those who publicly belittled his capacity to lead the country.
At one time during his presidency, I phoned President Erap to tell him that I was going to investigate what I believed were anomalies in connection with the bidding of LRT 2. He immediately said: “Ok lang sa akin yon Manong, ‘wag mo akong intindihin. Imbestigahan mo para malaman natin kung may kalokohan talaga dyan.”
Indeed, Erap never stopped Congress from investigating anomalies under his administration. In fact, he immediately and willingly told his own wife, the First Lady, Dra. Luisa Ejercito, to face a Senate investigation during his Presidency.
More than that, President Erap did not use the vast resources available to him as President to thwart his own impeachment by Congress in 2000. He readily submitted himself to the legal process of undergoing an impeachment trial. But his political enemies and leaders of the so-called “civil society” were in a hurry remove him from office, never mind his basic right to a fair and complete trial on the facts and the merits of the charges filed against him.
The humiliation that the former President and his family have suffered are unimaginable for any ordinary person to endure.
From the time his erstwhile so-called “friend,” Luis “Chavit” Singson accused him of taking bribes from “jueteng” operations, to the aborted impeachment trial which led to EDSA DOS, his illegal and forced ouster from the Presidency, and eventually, his arrest and detention, he and his family were publicly pilloried and shamed.
In EDSA DOS, Erap and we, the Senators who voted against the opening of the “second envelope” because the bank accounts were not included in the charges Congress elevated to the Senate, were subjected to a vicious hate campaign, derisively caricatured, publicly cursed, demonized, and called names: “mandarambong,” “political prostitutes”, mga bayaran,” “The Craven Eleven”, and many unprintable labels.
It did not help that the media, and sadly, the leadership of the Catholic Church were active parisans and participants in the effort to force Erap to resign.
Lahat ng pagmumura at pag-aalipusta na ibinato kay Pangulong Estrada at sa amin ay naganap at pinayagan ng mga pastor, mga madre at kaparian doon mismo sa paanan ng malaking imahe ng Birheng Maria sa EDSA.
I know that many people had advised President Erap to forcibly disperse the crowd in EDSA and not to allow it to swell, after all, they had no permit to occupy that road. But Erap refused. He said it was their right to protest for as long as the gathering remained peaceful, and he did not want anyone to get hurt.
President Erap pressed for the opening of the controversial “second envelope” after the prosecutors walked out of the impeachment trial. He asked his lawyers to withdraw their objection to its opening in order to vindicate him from speculations that he was hiding something there. But the prosecution refused to go back. They had another plan.
After he was already removed from office and when the envelope was finally opened by then Senate President Aquilino Pimentel, together with the late Senator Renato Cayetano and in full view of the media, they found that the subject bank account was indeed owned by Mr. Jaime Dichavez.
But this was drowned in the midst of the euphoria over Erap’s forced removal from office. Much later, Senator Aquilino Pimentel, even testified at Erap’s trial for Plunder at the Sandiganbayan to attest to such findings.
Erap could have used the outrage of the throngs of his supporters among the masses who gathered and refused to leave EDSA to protest his arrest as an opportunity to force the administration to free him from jail. This huge gathering was, of course, ignored by the media and it received little coverage, if any at all.
But in a meeting that I, his wife Dra. Loi, and his leaders had at the Robinson’s Galleria Hotel on the eve of May 1, 2001, President Erap called and asked me and Dra. Loi to dissuade the agitated crowd from marching to Malacanang. He worried that the people would get hurt and lives may be lost because violence would surely erupt.
Despite Dra. Loi’s pleas and a taped voice message from President Erap played to the angry crowd asking them not to march, they still did. Scores of his supporters were seriously wounded and hurt, and I understand a number of them died as they were rightly met by anti-riot policemen and snipers in Malacanang. Indeed, Erap never wanted the lives of his loyal supporters to be placed in danger just for his sake.
On May 1, 2001, barely two weeks before the elections, I was arrested and accused of leading the assault against the Palace despite the fact that I was the first to discourage and caution the crowd about marching from EDSA. Again, the Supreme Court was my only refuge, and I was ordered released after 6 days of detention at Camp Crame. I lost the Senatorial race in 2001 which came on the heels of EDSA DOS, Erap’s ouster and arrest, and EDSA TRES.
Despite all the betrayal, the public humiliation, the most vicious and meanest attacks upon his person, name and honor, and the long years of confinement and restriction on his freedom, what I saw in Erap was an inexhaustible capacity for kindness and forgiveness.
Many times when I would visit him under detention, I would be surprised by the people who I found there in his company, enjoying his generosity, hospitality, and even seeking his help and support. I just quietly said to myself: “How can this man bring himself up to even feed these people who betrayed his trust and those who were instrumental in his painful and illegal ouster?”
For a man who they portrayed as a scoundrel who lacked “education”, he never ceased to amaze me with his genuine gentlemanly and respectful ways, his willingness to forgive, and his kind-heartedness. He chose not to nurture any ill-will. He may have been angry at these people at some point, and understandably so. But when they came to him, he received them not only with all due respect, but with an openness to embrace them back as friends. He set aside his bitterness, and he was not quick to judge nor condemn them.
When Secretary Angelo Reyes, who turned against him as his AFP Chief of Staff, was up for confirmation at the Commission on Appointments, I asked Erap how he would like me to vote. I was then in the CA representing the PMP. He said: “Manong, pumunta dito sa ‘kin, nakikiusap, kasama ho yung asawa niya. Siguro tulungan mo na lang.”
In fact, even those who impeached him and voted against him during the trial were welcomed by Erap as friends. Among them were Senator Manny Villar, Senator Nene Pimentel, Senator Serge Osmena, and Senator Loren Legarda.
More than that, I know that leaders of the so-called “civil society” who he knew were at EDSA DOS have turned to him and relied on his help and support for their protest actions against this present Administration. Today, I see these same faces parading themselves as leaders and supporters of the candidacy of my dear colleague, Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III. Evidently, they have no more use for Erap.
When I came to be labeled and regarded as an “Administration ally,” Erap told me that many of his friends were intriguing against me. But he said: “Manong, sa ‘kin wala lahat yon. Basta hindi tayo magkakahiwalay.”
In 2007, I resigned as Chairman of the PMP because I did not want to be a burden to him, having been labeled as “pro-Gloria”, and because I could not support some people who were in his Senatorial slate. I said, however, that I will not leave the Party and that I will just remain as a member. President Erap understood but said to me: “Basta Manong, magkasama pa rin tayo.”
I was surprised when one day, after the elections, he called my Chief of Staff to ask me to take over his position as Chairman Emeritus of the PMP. She reasoned with him saying that the position of Chairman Emeritus can only rightfully be occupied by him, being its founder. Add to that, there would surely be some negative reaction from his hardcore supporters.
But he insisted and proceeded to give this humble representation the distinct honor of being named Chairman Emeritus of no less than the party that draws its existence and strength from the persona of ERAP-President Joseph Ejercito Estrada.
Perhaps, our friendship has remained unshaken because of our mutual openness and candor. I never kept any secret from him about my association with President Arroyo’s administration and my support for her policies whenever in my judgment, such policies and actions were correct. But just like President Erap’s administration, I have openly criticized, questioned, and gone against some of President Arroyo’s economic and political policies and directions.
Only a few weeks after Mrs. Arroyo took over the presidency, a mutual friend arranged a brief meeting between us. I told her that I will help her if she needed my help for the sake of the country. But I said to her: “Huwag mo lang sana ako palayuin kay Erap. Mas kailangan niya ang kaibigan ngayon.”
To her credit, she said she was not asking that of me at all. In subsequent meetings with President Arroyo, where I would plead for more freedom and leniency for the detained former President, she would invariably say that when she was his Vice President, Erap was very kind and never did anything wrong to her.
Even the late President Cory Aquino who led those who asked for Erap to step down, must have seen something good in him, at least enough for her to later acknowledge that she was sorry. I believe she said: “Patawarin sana niya ako…lahat naman tayo ay may pagkakamali.”
Do I regret what I did and whatever I have suffered because of my support for President Erap? Am I ashamed of my association with this man?
Pinagsisisihan ko ba na ako ay sumama kay Erap sa kanyang laban para sa hustisya? Ikinahihiya ko ba siya, itatatwa, o iiwanan bilang isang kaibigan?
HINDING HINDI PO. Para sa akin, isang malaking karangalan na ako ay maituring niya bilang isang malapit na kaibigan. Si Erap ay naging isang tunay na kaibigan sa akin, sa hirap at ginhawa.
Mr. President, the Floor of this Chamber is always available for each one of us to freely express our thoughts and ideas, our beliefs, and our advocacies. It offers us the extraordinary privilege of parliamentary immunity, but that privilege carries with it the equally extraordinary duty for us to wield and exercise it with a sense of responsibly. I am sure Senator Lacson takes this privilege and responsibility very seriously.
The Gentleman from Cavite has thrown some very grave and serious accusations against former President Joseph Estrada. And I know he is not yet finished.
If his accusations should amount to the imputation of crimes for which Erap has not yet been charged nor tried, then I sincerely hope that the good Senator, sooner than later, will see to it that the proper case or even cases, will be immediately filed in our courts, where the former President can be given a fair, impartial, and equal opportunity to defend himself.
President Estrada has been charged, tried and convicted for the crime of Plunder. In his more than six years of detention, I am sure that he had much time to contemplate and reflect on his fate and the events that led to his rise and fall from power. I have seen him at his darkest moments, and I have witnessed his agony, his sad realizations, his resolve and tenacity to vindicate his name, his strong faith in God, and his resilience.
Very few people are blessed with the kind of trials and vindication Erap has been fortunate to have experienced in his own lifetime. As he now contemplates and discerns whether he should once again seek the presidency, he is in a rare and unique position to use the lessons he has learned the hard and painful way for the higher good of the nation and our people.
With full conviction, I have made a commitment to my dear friend, the former President, that should he decide to run for President despite the formidable legal and political obstacles that await him, I will be with him. Sasamahan ko siya. If, however, he should decide otherwise, I am very certain that Erap will remain as a major force in shaping the political life and history of our country.
Sa aking pagsama kay Pangulong Erap sa iba’t ibang sulok ng kapuluan, nakita ko ang tunay na pagmamahal at pagtangkilik sa kanya ng masang Pilipino. Hindi niya kailangang magbayad upang umakit ng atensiyon at paghanga. Sa wari ko, ito’y hindi dahil siya ay isang sikat na artista lamang. Sa katauhan ni Erap, nakikita ng maralitang Pilipino ang isang pinuno na nauunawaan ang kanilang kalagayan at tunay na kumakalinga sa kanila.
Nang umuwi sa bansa si Cesar Mancao, at si Senador Lacson ay simulang maharap sa pagbibintang na siya ay may kinalaman sa pagpatay kina Ginoong Salvador “Bubby” Dacer at kay Emmanuel Corbito, taos-puso kong ipinahiwatig sa kanya ang aking pagkabahala at pag-aalala sa kanyang hinaharap na suliranin at sa maari niyang sapitin.
Ngayon, si Erap naman ang idinidiin at itinuturo na siyang tunay na may kagagawan ng karumal-dumal na mga pagpaslang na ito.
Ipagpaumanhin sana ni Senador Lacson na sa aking pagkakakilala kay Erap, hindi ako handang kagyat lang maniwala na and Dating Pangulo ay isang mamamatay-tao. Maraming nang ipinukol na kasalanan at batikos sa kanya, subali’t mahirap at masakit sa akin ang isipin na siya ay isang pusakal. Sapagka’t kung tunay ngang wala siyang konsensiyang kumitil ng buhay, marami akong alam na mga taong higit na mabigat ang kasalanan sa kanya na siguro ay matagal nang nawala sa mundong ito.
Kung may ebidensiyang magpapatunay na si Pangulong Estrada ay nagkasala, at ito ay mapagtitibay sa ilalim ng batas at sa harap ng hukom, hindi ko siya kailanman pagtatakpan. Subali’t hindi ko siya iiwanan bilang kaibigan sa panibagong pagsubok na ito.
Sa kabila ng mga malubhang akusasyon na kanyang hinaharap ngayon, umaasa ako na maipagtatanggol ni Pangulong Erap ang kanyang sarili, ang kanyang pangalan at ang kanyang dangal, hindi lamang bilang isang tao, ngunit higit sa lahat, bilang isang pinuno na pinagkakatiwalaan, dinadakila at minamahal ng masang Pilipino.
Maraming salamat po.
