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.
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
RSS