MANILA, Philippines—“It’s the lost decade (in history),” says former President Joseph Estrada on Tuesday night, referring to the nine-year-old administration of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
In a phone interview with co-anchors Chito dela Vega and Willy Matawaran of “Kumpadres” on Radyo Inquirer 990 AM DZIQ, Estrada enumerated the “sins” of Arroyo, among them the rampant extra-judicial killings, graft and corruption and “stealing the presidency from me and FPJ.”
FPJ stands for the initials of Estrada’s closest friend, actor Fernando Poe Jr., who was Arroyo’s fiercest rival in the 2004 presidential elections believed to be tainted with massive fraud.
Estrada, who was celebrating his 74th birthday, added Arroyo deserved to be in jail, together with other government officials during her term.
He pointed out that President Benigno Aquino III deserves all the support in fighting corruption and punishing those guilty of the crime. He asked the Filipino people to be patient because “all the wrongdoings that Arroyo did, all nine years of it, are hard to erase and straighten up,” referring to Aquino’s call to tread the straight and narrow path to progress.
“President Aquino has yet to complete his first year in office. Don’t expect him to clean up at once the mess he inherited from someone who ruled for nine years, the lost decade, so konting tiis lang po mga kababayan (have patience, my countrymen),” said Estrada.
However, Estrada asked for unity among warring factions in the Aquino administration and rebel groups like the communist New People’s Army and the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
“We used to be one of the richest among Southeast Asian nations, now we are among the poorest. Let’s all unite and help each other for progress,” he said.
Estrada holds the record of being the highest government official in the country’s history who was tried, convicted and jailed for plunder, and subsequently pardoned by Arroyo.
