Erap pardon a 'positive sign,' business groups say

Key business leaders interviewed by GMANews.TV on Thursday lauded the move of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to extend executive clemency to her predecessor, convicted former President Joseph Estrada. Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr, president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), said the pardon should ease tensions between warring factions in Philippine politics. "I think this is a positive sign. Hopefully, it can help calm the situation and we can have some semblance of unity and normalcy," he said. Ortiz Luis added that more than six years in detention for Estrada is enough to show the world that the Philippines is serious in its fight against corruption. "His conviction is a signal to the whole world that we are serious in punishing those who go against our laws," he said. Donald Dee, chair of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), said his group has always been for the pardon of the former president. "We have always supported the move in order to move towards national unity," Dee said. The PCCI earlier said the pardon could pave the way for the reconciliation of the administration and the opposition. - GMANews.TV