Ousted President and now Manila City Mayor Joseph Estrada says he has buried the hatchet and no longer harbors ill feelings against the Sandiganbayan magistrates who convicted him for plunder in 2007.
Speaking as special guest before the 21st convention-seminar of the Philippine Women Judges Association held on Thursday at the Manila Hotel, Estrada in jest told the delegates that he can never forget Supreme Court Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro.
Estrada recalled that De Castro was one of the three Sandiganbayan justices who tried and subsequently convicted him for plunder.
“I will never forget her, Justice Teresita de Castro was one of the three justices who heard the plunder case against me. Sinabi ko nga noon handa ako makulong dahil wala akong ninakaw na pera sa gobyerno, akalain ninyo, ipinakulong nga ako… si Ma’am naman hindi na mabiro,” Estrada said, which elicited laughter from the audience.
De Castro was then the presiding justice of the Sandiganbayan and the chairman of the special division that convicted Estrada.
However, for Estrada, it is all water under the bridge now even as he thanked De Castro for inviting him as special guests for the PWJA convention for two consecutive years.
The Manila City mayor praised De Castro for being the author of the SC decision last year that dismissed a petition seeking his disqualification as mayor of Manila.
“In truth, I would not be here today, delivering these welcome remarks, were it not for the probity and impartiality of that decision by the Supreme Court. Neither would I have had the authority nor the power to put in place the reforms necessary to resurrect a bankrupt city and steer it back on the road to progress,” Estrada stressed.
For her part, De Castro acknowledged Estrada as “the quintessential gentleman, most kind-hearted, public servant and most-loved by the poor.”
Estrada was sentenced by the Sandiganbayan’s Special Division to suffer life imprisonment and barred from holding public office after being found guilty of the crime of plunder in a marathon six-year trial on Sept. 13, 2007.
On one of the other charges, Estrada was acquitted of perjury and the Sandiganbayan allowed him to return to his Tanay, Rizal resthouse, “until further order of this court.”
The Sandiganbayan also ordered Estrada to hand over P732.4 million worth of bank accounts and a piece of property known as the “Boracay Mansion.”
However, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pardoned him, and saved him from serving a life term in prison.
Meanwhile, Estrada declined to name the presidential candidate that he will support in the May 9 presidential election, but welcomed the SC’s ruling allowing Grace Poe to run for president.
“Of course, it’s better. The people will be given the chance to choose. More candidates, the better for the people,” he said.
Estrada added that he does not consider personal ties in choosing the candidates he will support.
“When asked if he will join the campaign of his preferred candidates, Estrada replied: “You know I will charge them money for my personal appearance. Mahal ako,” he quipped.
