Ousted Philippine president Joseph Estrada was a free man yesterday for the first time in six-and-a-half years after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pardoned him from a life sentence for graft, a move touted as an effort to heal the nation's deep political rifts.
"There is no substitute for freedom," the 70-year-old former action film star told reporters before leaving his villa east of Manila, where he has spent most of his time in detention since his arrest in January 2001.
Estrada was convicted last month on graft charges and given a life sentence. Arroyo pardoned him on Thursday.
The pardon was greeted with a heavy dose of cynicism because of the timing -- Arroyo is currently fighting a third impeachment attempt and calls for her resignation. But Estrada, who has been one of Arroyo's chief critics in the past six years, sounded conciliatory for the first time since his ouster.
He thanked Arroyo, reiterated his wish to live the life of a "plain citizen" and, in a turnaround, urged his supporters to back Arroyo's programs to combat poverty and hunger.
"I am aware of the agonizing times and tough choices that Mrs. Arroyo has had to wade through before arriving at this executive decision," Estrada said in a statement read by his lawyer before the paperwork for his release was completed.
Arroyo admitted that her decision was controversial, but said the pardon was for the greater good to end "the single most significant cause of political noise and controversy" during her tumultuous time in office. She cited the pardons of former US and South Korean presidents as precedents.
"In the end, we had to make a decision that was bound to please and displease, impress and confound, unite and divide," Arroyo said in a speech to businessmen.
Arroyo's spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, said the pardon restored Estrada's civil and political rights. However, a court ruling that forfeited Estrada's villa and more than US$15.5 million in savings remains in effect.
Estrada said his first act as a free man would be to visit his ailing 102-year-old mother, who is hospitalized in Manila, where crowds of supporters, family and friends prepared a fiesta for his homecoming. Orange balloons and ribbons festooned the route for his lengthy motorcade.
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