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Erap claims to have gotten offers in exchange for his race exit


Listen to the audio podcast of Mike Enriquez' hour-long interview with Erap on DZBB last Feb. 22. Right-click to save the podcast as an MP3 file.
There is no stopping former President Joseph Estrada from seeking the presidency, not even supposed attempts to bribe him into backing out of the presidential race. In an interview with GMA News anchor Mike Enriquez on DZBB radio for Ikaw Na Ba?... The Presidential Interview on Monday, Estrada disclosed that he had been receiving feelers to reimburse his campaign expenses in exchange for his support for other candidates. “May mga nagasasabi na mga kasama, mga kaibigan nila na kung puwede, isoli na ang gastos ko — pero di ko ma-confirm kung totoo iyon — kung susuportahan ko sila. Hindi naman natin puwedeng ipagbili ang ating prinsipyo (I have been told by some candidates’ friends that my election expenses would be reimbursed — I'm not sure if that will happen — if I support them. But I can't sell my principles)," Estrada said. Estrada, a college dropout who rose to fame as a movie actor who portrayed a swashbuckling tough guy who defends the poor against the corrupt establishment, dismissed as black propaganda rumors that as the May 10, 2010 elections approach, he will withdraw his presidential bid and endorse one of his rivals. He also said he was confident of winning his second shot at the presidency even if he lags as a constant third in surveys on presidential preference. “Pagdating ng eleksyon ay aahon tayo (When the elections come, we will rise)," he said. Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III of the Liberal Party and Senator Manuel Villar Jr. of the Nacionalista Party have been leading recent surveys. ‘EDSA Dos a mistake’ Estrada said he was bent on seeking the presidency again because he had been unable to finish his programs for the poor since his ouster in January 2001 through a popular street uprising on EDSA. He also claimed there had been no proof that he had stolen from the government during his short stint as President. The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan convicted Estrada, who had spent six years in jail pending his trial, of plunder in September 2007, but President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pardoned him a month later. Estrada also insists the street uprising that put Mrs. Arroyo, who was her vice-president, in power was a mistake. "We are commemorating EDSA Uno [on February 22-25], but why are we ashamed of EDSA Dos? Dahil mali kasi (Because it was wrong)," the deposed leader said. Citing a portion of "The Lord’s Prayer" on forgiveness, Estrada said he was willing to help his detractors and political opponents. Asked whether he would support moves to prosecute Mrs. Arroyo one she ends her term, Estrada said that is for the Judiciary to decide, adding that in case he wins, he will uphold the independence of the courts. 2010 plans Estrada, criticized during his term for allegedly maintaining a "midnight Cabinet" of cronies making deals and influencing policy over glasses of whiskey, said his administration would fight corruption, restore food security and peace and order. He also said he would fight smuggling, particularly of rice because it cripples the economy and farmers’ livelihood. He also promises to abolish the pork barrel of lawmakers, which he said is a source of corruption. He also wants to end violence in Mindanao and make southern Philippines the country's food basket. Estrada took pride in saying that during his term of less than three years, he declared an all-out-war against Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) secessionists, which led to the collapse of 46 MILF camps, including the once impregnable Camp Abubakar in Matanog, Maguindanao. — Sophia Regina M. Dedace/NPA, GMANews.TV
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