Erap defiant: Corruption was never one of my shortcomings

Saying the verdict of the people is more important than the verdict of any court, pardoned former president Joseph Estrada insisted Friday night that he is innocent of the plunder case against him. Estrada, who received a president’s welcome from residents of San Juan City, vowed to stand up and join the fight against corruption now that he is a free man again. “Patuloy akong naninindigan na kung nagkaroon ako ng pagkakamali o pagkukulang sa aking panunungkulan hindi kailanman kasma dito ang pagnanakaw o pagwawaldas ng kaban ng bayan. Dalawang beses po ako inalok lumabas ng bansa. Wala pong charges nai-file sa akin. Di ako pumayag, sinabi ko haharapin ko lahat na charges na yan pero hindi ko maiiwan ang aking kababayan lalong lalo na ang masang Pilipino," he said to lusty cheers from the crowd. (I maintain that if I had any mistakes or shortcomings during my stint as a public officer, corruption was never one of them. I was offered twice to leave the country shortly after I was deposed. I never accepted them. I told them I would face the music but I will never abandon my people.) “I may have committed mistakes in my career as a public servant, but I assure you that corruption is never one of them," he added. He said he believes that if scholars in the future were to analyze the legal proceedings of his plunder case, they would find that he was innocent. But he said that this early, he is glad that the people exonerated him, and that this mattered more to him than the decision of any court. “Kahit i-convict nila ako pero taumbayan pinawalangsala ako. Mas mahalaga sa akin ang puso’t damdamin ng sambayanang Pilipino (Even if they convicted me but our people exonerated me, that’s fine with me. What matters to me are the hearts and minds of our people). The verdict of our people and of history is far more important to me than any court of this land," he said. Estrada thanked his supporters for their continued prayers and support during his six-and-a-half years in detention. He said his decision to seek pardon from his successor Gloria Arroyo was “in the interest of a higher and noble purpose" of dedicating his remaining years in the unconditional service to the people. “Released from detention, I am now free to pursue my pro-poor programs that I initiated and would like now to strengthen, ranging from livelihood programs and projects to scholarship programs," he said. “So today I rejoin our society so that I can stand up and be counted in our common cause to fight poverty and corruption. To uphold the aspirations of good governance and a better life for our people we must unite as a nation for the common good of the Filipino people," he added. Estrada also reiterated he will not run for public office anymore, saying Philippine politics is dirty. “Ito po ay pakinggan ninyo akong mabuti. Wala na po akong balak na muling pumasok sa larangan ng maruming pulitika. Ang nalalabi kong panahon ngayon iaalay ko sa paglilingkod sa ating mga kababayan (Listen to my words well. I do not intend to return to our country’s dirty politics. I will devote my remaining days to serving our people)," he said. He also said he will devote his time to taking care of his ailing 102-year-old mother Mary, saying he never got the chance to do so when he was a public official. Estrada thanked President Arroyo for granting him executive clemency, but when he asked the crowd to applaud her, they applauded weakly. Some of the audience even booed when Estrada mentioned Mrs Arroyo’s name, prompting him to say, “Kung di niya ako binigyan ng executive clemency, di nyo ako kaharap kagabi kaya pasalamatan natin siya palakpakan po natin (If she did not grant me pardon, I wouldn’t be facing you now. So let’s give her a hand)." - GMA News. TV