ON THE SUPPOSED second day of the trial of the century, members of the anti-corruption group Plunder Watch again gathered in front of the Sandiganbayan not to mount a rally but to hand out awards to ousted President Joseph Estrada and former First Lady Imelda Marcos.

“Although fifteen years apart in occupying and being booted out of Malacañang, these two hideous and unrepentant figures represent the worst in the last and present millenia. They truly deserve this Kalabasa Award and all the cases now lodged against them,” said Plunder Watch convenor Fr. Joe Dizon.

Convenors of Plunder Watch presented the awards after a dialogue with Ombudsman Aniano Desierto wherein they mapped out plans and strategies against the “dramatic antics” of Estrada and his lawyers and the Sandiganbayan’s “apparent drift towards an acquittal.”

The biggest kalabasa award shared by Estrada and Marcos came with a citation that read: “This awards is shared by Most Infamous Plunderers of the Old and New Millenium. Given by the people to Erap and Meldy after being booted out for shameless plunder and sophistry or plain panloloko to cover up all their crimes. It would be hard to equal their record.”

The activist priest added that “They’re like mother, like son in terms of bad acting, being in cahoots with the dictatorship and plundering public funds. They should not worry because after the trial, they stand to get what they serve. For Imelda, its a long jail sentence, and for Estrada, it’s the death penalty.”

Dizon was joined by other Plunder Watch convenors like Dr. Carolina Pagaduan Araullo, Maan Hontiveros and Teodoro Casiño and hundreds of anti-corruption advocates and members of cause-oriented groups under the banner of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan.

Other awardees
Fellow Estrada defense lawyers Rene Saguisag and Raymond Fortun shared the “Best Actor” citation, after Plunder Watch booted out Estrada himself from contention.

“Saguisag and Fortun will do anything including filing 112 motions and staging dramatic skits in front of TV cameras just to hatch an escape for their client. Its really a tough job to make the people forget that Estrada was booted out of office for plundering the nation’s coffers,” said Dizon.

A special “Mersenaryo ng Bagong Milenyo” kalabasa award was given to pro-Estrada leader Ronald Lumbao of the so-called People’s Movement Against Poverty (PMAP).

“Lumbao’s a modern-day mercenary whose expertise is in starting riots and foisting lies on the public,” Dizon said.

Anti-Marcos alliance rebutts Imelda
At the same time, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) shot back at Imelda Marcos and called her a “true-blue liar” for “implying innocence” over the fascist and corrupt Marcos dictatorship.

“This Guinness record holder and one of the targets of the People Power One should not forget that she has been proven guilty and accountable for the murder, forced disappearance and torture of nearly 10,000 Filipinos in a class-action suit already decided in the US Federal Court,” said Bayan Secretary-General Teodoro Casiño who is also one of the convenors of Plunder Watch.

Bayan was formed in 1985 and led gigantic people’s strikes and mobilizations until the downfall of the Marcos dictatorship.

“What is true is that it has been a long wait before the people get their day in court. Before she actually gets insane, Imelda should be made to pay for the ransacking of the national treasury while they imposed tyrannical rule from 1972 to 1986,” Casiño added.