Life goes on after Erap verdict

In a quiet subdivision in Binangonan, Rizal, it seemed like no significant event in Philippine history happened. After finding out on national television that former President Joseph �Erap� Estrada had been convicted for plunder by the Sandiganbayan, the special anti-corruption court, after six years of trial, the people living in Green Ridge Subdivision just stood up from their seats and went about with their business as usual.

Although many homeowners took the time to watch the 15-minute live TV coverage of the said event last September 12, a few actually refused to switch on their television sets for the said coverage.

�Wala pa rin naming mangyayari sa mahihirap kung mapapalaya o makukulong si Erap. Bakit, may makakain ba sila pagkatapos nito? Siyempre, may trabaho pa rin akong dapat atupagin. Hindi ako aabsent [sa trabaho] para lang manood ng pagsasabi ng verdict! (Nothing will happen to the poor if Erap is acquitted or found guilty. Why, would they have anything to eat after all this? Besides, I have work to do. I would not miss work just to watch that announcement of the verdict!)� Evalour Labastilla, a bank teller and homeowner said.

No one from the subdivision attended any of the pro-Erap rallies held on Estrada�s judgment day.

�Pumunta sa rally? Hindi na ako pumunta, kahit pro-Erap ako. Sayang lang ang pagod ko, ipapakulong pa rin si Erap ng gobyerno (Go to a rally? No, I did not go even if I am pro-Erap. I would have wasted my energy because Erap would still be jailed by the government),� said a resident who declined to be identified.

Some residents were neither delighted nor distressed when the ousted president was found guilty of plunder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Bienvenida Bansil, 66, a grandmother staying with her daughter�s family, said, �Kahit sino pa ang maging presidente, si Erap man o si Gloria [Macapagal-Arroyo], kailangan pa ring kumayod ng mga tao upang mabuhay. Kailangan pa rin nating ituloy ang buhay (No matter who the president is, whether Erap or Gloria, the people still need to work hard in order to live. We need to move on).�

�Kung may epekto ang verdict, dapat nangyari na nang naibaba ang hatol. Wala namang nangyari, walang reaksyon ang madla except yung mga malapit kay Erap (If the verdict had any effect, it should have happened as soon as the decision was read. Nothing happened, the masses did not react apart from those are close to Erap),� said Jose Marinias, 33, an Internet cafe owner.

On the other hand, a few others were upset over the outcome and deemed the verdict unfair and politically motivated.

�Kahit hindi ako pro-Erap, nabigla at nasaktan pa rin ako nang marinig ko ang verdict. Hindi ko akalain na makukulong si Erap (Even if I am not pro-Erap, I was still surprised and hurt when I heard the verdict. I never expected that Erap would go to jail),� said Maria Mabbagu, 32, a housewife tending a sarisari store.

Noel Sulit, 48, a Meralco field representative, had a similar reaction. He said that the guilty verdict on former President Estrada was uncalled for because the Arroyo administration supposedly interfered with the court�s decision.

�Pulitika iyan kasi ang administrasyong Arroyo ay hindi legal, di ba? Inagaw lang naman ni Arroyo ang kapangyarihan kay Erap. Kung maaacquit si Erap, magiging iligal ang administrasyong Arroyo. Kaya siya hindi inacquit (This is a political move because the Arroyo administration is not legitimate, isn�t it? Arroyo just grabbed the power from Erap. If Erap had been acquitted, then the Arroyo administration would become illegitimate. That is why he was not acquitted),� Sulit said.

Even teenagers living in the subdivision had a say regarding Estrada�s conviction even if they themselves did not have the chance to watch the event on TV.

Aubrey Sulit, 15, a high-school senior and daughter of Noel Sulit, said, �Hindi fair na makulong si Erap dahil kung titignan natin ang mga pulitiko sa gobyernong Arroyo, makikita natin na mas marami pa silang kasalanan kaysa kay Erap, tulad ng �Hello Garci� scandal (It is not fair to imprison Erap because if we would take a closer look at the politicians under the Arroyo government, we would see that they have more wrongdoings than Erap, such as the �Hello Garci� scandal).�

�Kahit maraming Erap supporters na nagalit sa outcome ng kaso, wala naman masyadong epekto ito sa mga kabataan (Although many Erap supporters got angry at the outcome of the case, it did not have much of an effect on the youth),� said another high-school student who refused to be named.

The somewhat apathetic reaction among the people regarding the Estrada�s conviction was already expected by some experts. Enrique Esteban, a political scientist with the University of Asia and the Pacific, said in a globalnation.inquirer.net article that while Estrada still has popular support with the poor, they simply do not see the point of taking to the streets any more.

"They see it as part of the political game no matter what side you are on. At the end of the day the poor are still poor," he said.

Atty. Marichu Lambino, one of the volunteer lawyers for the prosecution of Estrada�s plunder case, mentioned in a gmanew.tv webcast that although pro- and anti-Erap rallies were to be expected on the judgment day itself, majority of the people are not really paying attention to the case anymore.

�Bukod sa mga naglabas ng mga patalastas [hinggil sa magiging desisyon], hindi na siguro masyadong napapagtuunan ng pansin ang kasong ito (Apart from those who released those advertisements [regarding the decision], it seemed that the case is not given that much attention anymore),� Atty. Lambino said.

Here is a list of the links that are related to this article:

Some Southern Luzon folk disappointed by Estrada verdict

Estrada gets life for corruption

Estrada Verdict Politically Motivated