Despite conviction, Erap says he was ‘never tempted’ to steal govt money

Almost three years after the Sandiganbayan found him guilty of plunder, former President Joseph Estrada on Monday denied committing any anomaly while he was in power and maintained that he never gave in to temptations to steal from the government’s coffers. Estrada, who is seeking to reclaim the presidency in the upcoming May 10 polls, also said his family and close friends never received any special favors from him. "Kailanman ay hindi po. Transparent po ang aking gobyerno. Ni isang kamag-anak, walang na-appoint. Walang naki-alam, walang nakinabang kahit na kumpare o kamag-anak. Walang nakaka-impluwensiya sa akin," Estrada said in response to a question by GMANews.TV editor-in-chief Howie Severino during GMA News and Public Affairs’ Hiritan 2010 aired on Unang Hirit. (I never gave in to any temptation. My government is transparent. I have not appointed a single relative. My friends and relatives did not benefit anything. Nobody influenced me.) Others who asked questions during the forum were University of the Philipines Economics professor Solita "Mareng Winnie" Monsod, UP students in the live audience, GMA’s Unang Hirit host Arnold Clavio, and the program’s viewers via social media.

Estrada was forced to step down from office at the height of a massive anti-corruption protest movement in January 2001, enabling then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to assume power. After being detained for six years, the former leader was convicted of plunder in September 2007, but Mrs. Arroyo pardoned him a month later. His aborted presidency was tainted by allegations of illegal-gotten wealth that supposedly benefited his so-called cronies, family members, and even his mistresses. Hands-off on jueteng In fact, it was his erstwhile ally who tagged him in jueteng, a multi-million illegal numbers game. The exposé eventually led to the downfall of the former leader who, ironically, won by a landslide in 1998. But on Monday, Estrada categorically denied reaping any benefits from the controversial game. "Hindi ako nakinabang sa jueteng (I did not benefit anything from jueteng)," he said. At a House of Representatives hearing in October 2000, former Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson exposed Estrada's alleged involvement in jueteng and called the president "the lord of all jueteng lords." Singson also accused Estrada of receiving a bribe from the tobacco excise tax. Singson's revelation resulted in the filing of an impeachment case against Estrada, which the House found to be sufficient in form and substance. Former Speaker and now presidential bet Senator Manuel Villar Jr. transmitted the complaint to the Senate in November 2000. Estrada was the first Philippine president to be impeached. Singson stood as witness in the trial, but the proceedings were aborted on Jan. 16, 2001 after majority of the senators, mostly Estrada's allies, voted not to open an envelope which supposedly contained incriminating information against Estrada. Estrada’s close associate, Charlie “Atong" Ang, was also implicated in illegal gambling with the blessing of the deposed leader. Ang gained notoriety in 1998 after he was seen on a videotape with then Vice President Estrada at the Casino Filipino at the Heritage Hotel. During Estrada's term, Ang became a consultant of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) on jai-alai operations. PAGCOR reportedly paid his company, Power Management and Consultancy, P500,000 a day, excluding bonuses. As Pagcor's "consultant" on Bingo 2-Ball — a legalized form of jueteng — Ang decided to award the Bingo 2-Ball franchise in Ilocos Sur to former Rep. Eric Singson, Chavit Singson's cousin and long-time foe. This angered Chavit no end, who made the Juetengate expose that led to Estrada's downfall. On Monday, Estrada said that assuming he benefited from the illegal numbers game, he clarified that jueteng money is not government money. No cronies? Estrada was also linked to the biggest scandal that rocked the Philippine stock market in 1999. That year, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Philippine Stock Exchange investigated the price-fixing of Best World Resources’ stocks. Estrada’s friend, businessman Dante Tan, is a major shareholder of the firm. Tan is supposedly one of the biggest contributors in Estrada’s campaign funds when he first ran for president in 1998. The 1999 inquiry uncovered Tan’s heavy share-buying and selling of shares to bloat the worth of the BW Resources’ stocks. Former SEC chair Perfecto Yasay claimed Estrada called him to clear Tan of any involvement in the scandal. But Estrada — whose son Jose Victor “JV" Ejercito became the biggest shareholder of BW Resources affiliate, Best World Construction Corp. — denied asking the SEC to exonerate Tan and interfering with the commission’s investigation. During Estrada’s impeachment trial, former Finance Secretary Edgardo Espiritu also claimed that the former president owned BW Resources shares and profited from selling them when the share price ballooned. Espiritu also testified that Estrada himself told him that the latter raked in profits from the shares. Estrada had denied taking part in the scandal, and even called Yasay a liar. Tan, for his part, fled the country at the height of the investigation. Philippine authorities continue to hunt for him. — RSJ, GMANews.TV