ERAP’s character

After being pardoned by Malacañan, possibly because GMA is afraid that the ZTE scandal would go on, ERAP’s real color has been showed. At first, he was saying that he would keep silent, and not dip his fingers on the scandal that the president, or the president’ husband was involved in, but later he even took the Makati rally stand to criticize the President. ERAP must have been popular, or must have a friend who has character (the late FPJ, which is my mother’s favorite actor), ERAP’s character is very typical of a Pinoy. Unfortunately, the negative Pinoy character who because of adversity has learned to grip the edge of the knife. But ERAP has been even worse than the poor Pinoy whom he easily deceived. He already had the money with him, the richness of being the prince of Pinoy action movies, but he lavished himself with the funds from the coffers of tax payment which middle class Filipinos expended sweat with. I remember when I was a provincial government employee in Bulacan, Central Luzon, Philippines, a big chunk of my salary has been deducted from my pay as withholding tax that the Philippine government collect. Whenever I thought of the record of government corruption we discussed in my classes at the UP Diliman NCPAG, I only realized this now, I have been robbed of my money. It’s worse than being robbed by the lumpen on street. Recently, I lost my wallet, I incidentally forget it at a stall and the person was just of my age and I had known from childhood (only that he was not able to support his self thru college). ERAP is far worse than the person who took my wallet because the person is simply poor, while ERAP just needed money to support his bunch of sons and daughters with women other than his wife. But of course, the money amounting to a little more than P1,ooo,ooo,ooo are money from jueteng. These were not actually legal fund of government but part of the underground economy hence unaccounted. These were money that came from the ingrained gambling tradition of many Filipinos. In my barangay here in Taal, Bocaue, Bulacan, there still is a jueteng operator. Even if I am antagonistic of their practice, I could not get mad at them because I know that they are the sector that is what we call “isang kahig, isang tuka.” The Pinoy Masa would not understand the implication of ERAP’s conviction on the Jose Velarde Scandal because they are benefiting from ERAP’s platform on jueteng. These people even get mad at GMA when ERAP was imprisoned for plunder. I sympathized with ERAP then. I justified that GMA has done wrongly on ERAP’s conviction since his guilt was not proven beyond reasonable doubt. I sympathize but when I have read a part of the Impeachment Panel on the case, the testimonies were enough to judge ERAP the same. Later, I was admiring the President GMA for the action since this was a hallmark decision on Philippine history.

And so she (GMA) and Speaker De Venecia (HOR) fought when Malacañang was pondering on giving the impeached President a pardon. Things got more complicated when ZTE deal scandal surfaced. De Venecia’s son Joey was accusing the President GMA and her husband FG Arroyo of overpricing the ZTE contract that would provide Internet connection in the public school system of the country. The vision of the project was remarkable and bright on itself. However, the alleged overpricing is also a form of corruption. The motive of Joey maybe to take offense against GMA since at the time of his expose’ his father was endangered to lose his house speakership, which he did anyway. But I see the pardon as a cover-up to divert attention of people from the ZTE to ERAP’s pardon. Neri’s decision not to talk on the Senate ZTE hearings is quite a typical technocrat reaction. Neri did not want to further complicate things, which I agreed on. GMA is lowering the dollar peso exchange rate and this meant the economy is improving. The Overseas workers would not be happy about it of course but from the classical economy’s measure, the peso strength over dollar means that the administration of GMA indeed has been doing something, in short “working”.

I see GMA as the lesser of two evils. Because GMA has already cancelled the ZTE contract and the Senate hearings are just purely academic when pushed thru. It will just waste Senate budget, not to mention time. ERAP on one hand had already used the jueteng tong in buying the New Manila Mansion and other properties, and most of the “to be sequestered” properties and assets of ERAP are still impending. Moreover, ERAP’s character surfaced when he had went out to speak before the Ayala rally, taking stand with Jun Lozada. What an “ingratitude” to GMA who had given him the pardon!

I would choose the President who is working and canceling possible suspicious contract, over the President who had gained money from illegal gambling and was womanizing. I remember Dr. Edberto Villegas in my Dev Stud Class at UP Manila, he once quoted to us: ERAP was actually signing papers without even reading them. Some of these laws have repercussions that may directly affect the Pinoy masa, who was simply unaware.