Erap: Give Aquino time to reform govt

Former President Joseph Estrada on Monday appealed to Filipinos to give President Benigno Aquino III time to reform the government, in reaction to the President’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA). “We need to give Aquino time in restoring faith in government because of the immeasurable and insurmountable acts of corruption of the past administration," said Estrada, who placed second in the May 2010 presidential race, in a statement. Estrada congratulated Aquino for leading the country on the right path during his first year in office. “I believe that he is on the right path as his administration first focused on restoring faith in government," he said. Estrada, who attended the SONA at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, advised Aquino to couple his reform agenda with concrete plans for peace and order, food security, social services and education. “I also believe that nation-building must be simultaneous with and not subsequent to eliminating corruption. So while we are eliminating corruption, we should also be empowering our citizens through nation-building," he said. He also called on Filipinos to back the Aquino administration’s program of governance. Estrada was deposed in 2001 amid accusations of corruption. He was found guilty of plunder in 2007 by the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court and was sentenced to reclusion perpetua. He was, however, pardoned by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the same year. - Andreo C. Calonzo/KBK, GMA News