Saturday, July 25, 2009

‘Narration of lies’—Estrada

BAGUIO CITY – Former president Joseph Estrada, convicted of plunder and freed by presidential pardon, said here on Friday that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) tomorrow would be “nothing but a narration of lies and corruption in her years of being the nation’s leader.”

“On Monday, GMA’s Sona will be anything like in the past, a litany of lies, so be pro-active and make your voices be heard,” he told a youth forum at the University of the Cordilleras here.

“We need real leaders who are transparent, honest and sincere. For someone who wants to be a president, my advice is do not lie, cheat or steal,” said Estrada, who was jailed for receiving millions of pesos in kickbacks from the illegal numbers game jueteng.

Estrada, ousted in a military-backed uprising, was also found to have used an alias when he opened a bank account.

Estrada, who insists he was wrongly convicted, criticized the Arroyo administration for having the most scams involving her Cabinet. He claimed that none of his Cabinet members were involved in scandals during his term as president.

Quoting a World Bank study, Estrada said the Philippines was one of the most corrupt countries in the world as a result of bad governance.

During his trip here, Estrada distributed T-shirts, cellular phones and P30,000 in cash to students who attended the forum.

He later joined a motorcade on Session Road.

Estrada calls his sorties a campaign to explain to the people that he did not commit the crimes which he was convicted of, but many in his camp said it was the ex-President’s way of preparing for a return to power through the 2010 elections.

During his abbreviated term, various scandals also rocked the government, including accusations that government funds were used to raise the value of shares of stock of one of Estrada’s closest friends.

Estrada was also linked to the murders of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito, but he repeatedly denied it. Desiree Caluza, Inquirer Northern Luzon
(Comment: This is another nonsense news. GMA is corrupt being criticized by Erap who got jailed for corruption. Waste of time 'to).

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