Babe's Eye View article

Once again, GMA's political instinct is put to a difficult test and this time, she has made a gutsy and decisive move by granting executive clemency to Erap Estrada. No doubt the decision is GMA's tactic to survive against another onslaught coming from all sides of the political fence.

Her administration has been reeling with wave after wave of controversy—from "Hello Garci" to Bedol, the NBN deal and just recently, the bribery issue which has raised very serious questions about her administration's moral ascendancy. Add to this the reports floating that former president Fidel Ramos, Joe de Venecia and Vice President Noli de Castro are allegedly moving together and planning an impeachment against GMA.

Expletives flew all over the place at news of Erap's pardon with majority of the middle class expressing resentment at the haste by which the administration decided. However, a large number of Filipinos from the lower class of society are extremely jubilant at the release of the man they consider their hero.

Estrada's political stock never diminished despite his six-year detention, proven when he got his wife and son elected to the Senate and when opposition bets clobbered administration candidates in the last senatorial elections.

The way GMA figures it, granting pardon to Estrada will tacitly make him an ally with a political base that easily outnumbers FVR and JDV supporters combined. A fact FVR himself admits.

GMA critics can continue to rant and rave, but no one can argue that granting executive clemency to convicted felons is the sole prerogative of the president—a power enshrined in the Constitution which, as Joker Arroyo pointed out, "nobody can question."

Of course, FVR had always opposed the idea of a pardon because he had never forgiven Erap for creating the Saguisag Commission to investigate the Centennial Expo scam. The wily FVR called the pardon "a dangerous proposal" since Estrada could use his newfound freedom to turn against GMA, with a veiled threat she could suffer "the same fate as Estrada who was forced to vacate his office." The fact is, we have a flawed system which allows the short-circuiting of legal procedures for the sake of political survival.

It all started when Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law supposedly to save the country from "anarchy and chaos." In the beginning, people seemed to believe it. Towards the end, politicians led by former Speaker Jose "Pepito" Laurel confronted Marcos, telling him the country's survival did not rest on him because "after all, Marcos is not the Philippines."

The succeeding years saw the erosion of people's faith in an authoritarian regime bent on perpetuating its hold on power—resulting in the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution—which many call "the real and justified EDSA"—bringing democracy back to the country.

The case of Joseph Estrada is different. Close to 11 million Filipinos voted for him in 1998. When the issue of plunder came about, he tried to follow the constitutional process, submitting himself to an impeachment. But the walkout by some senators aborted the whole process, triggering EDSA 2 and sweeping GMA into power under circumstances whose constitutionality is disputed to this day.

But as pointed out by Congressman Prospero Nograles, granting pardon to Estrada was a brilliant political move that could spell the political survival of GMA and put to rest all questions about legitimacy since pardon is "a constitutional act that only a legitimate president can exercise." And now, GMA is accepted by the very same president she ousted who had refused to recognize her.

GMA is probably the president whose tenure has been challenged so many times, yet even foreigners admire her tenacity and keen survival instincts which has kept her in power. George Bush himself could only marvel at how she has managed to survive despite the shaky political ground she has been standing on all these years.

GMA has obviously learned from history and the experience of her predecessor. She knows a serious impeachment could be her undoing this time—specially in light of the cold war with JDV despite the latter's oft-repeated pronouncements of support. JDV's call for a "moral revolution" is seen by cynics as a ploy that comes in the guise of concern, but in reality is set to undermine GMA.

Many believe JDV has not forgiven her for attempting to oust him as Speaker. GMA, on the other hand, is tired of deflecting pressure from Joe de V and his allies—and with one stroke of a pen covered her political base by cultivating the support of Erap and his followers.

Everything that is happening to our country today stems from the simple fact that we have a personality-based system that has spawned a "survival" kind of politics. I said it before, and I say it again with the loudest and clearest voice—we need to change the system—the justice system, the political system, the electoral system and the whole spectrum that continues to break down.

No matter who becomes president, he or she will always get sucked into a system that is rotten and has not worked, compelling a leader to work around its flaws to ensure his or her political survival.

As the country's population continues to grow at a rapid rate of four babies per minute mostly added to the poor sector of society, we will continue to suffer a fate worse than death because of a system that has failed us time and time again. A system that has induced all of us to think that to live in this country, one has to cut corners and do things "on your own" to survive in this cruel world called the Philippines.