Press Release
September 12, 2007

Noynoy on Erap: His political career fostered unity among the
Filipino people

"I started in public service at exactly the same time that President Estrada achieved the highest political office. His administration showed a lot of potential for having consolidated practically the entire political spectrum of the Philippines."

"The start of his administration was therefore so full of promise for having achieved the elusive unity of the Filipino people. It is with sadness and a sense of lost opportunity that we view the denouement of his political career."

"As public servants, we have to advocate for the respect for the rule of law. The same system of laws that rendered today's judgment into this case affords President Estrada the opportunity for a full review of the judgment rendered unto him."

The Senator questioned the need to demonstrate such overwhelming force in anticipation of the public's reaction to today's judgment on the case of former President Estrada. "Given today's generally peaceful atmosphere, one is hard put to understand the demonstration of such overwhelming force (i.e. AFP armored personnel carriers) within the metropolis. Did the administration prepare for a non-existent threat due to our intelligence agencies' failure to correctly assess potential threats to the state? Or did they correctly assess the non-existence of such threats but the government nevertheless prepared for a contingency that did not exist? In any case, we expect the administration to congratulate itself for preparations conducted in anticipation of a non-event."

The Senator, who was one of the signatories of the impeachment complaint against Estrada, lauds the former president for his willingness to undergo due process of law. "I applaud the former Chief Executive's decision to submit himself to the rule of law. His willingness to undergo the entire judicial process, when he had an option not to, should serve as an example."

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