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PLUNDER
WATCH
Plunder Watch Victories
1. Immediately
put Estrada’s arrest, trial and conviction on top of the political
agenda for the GMA administration.
2. Put the Office of the Ombudsman on notice that ERM and its subsequent
formations will closely watch the developments in the case. While
support for the earnest efforts of the Prosecution would be forthcoming,
we also would not hesitate to expose and oppose moves by the Public
Prosecution to undermine or sabotage the case.
3. Thwarted attempts of the Defense to have Estrada placed under
house arrest but because of the misplaced conciliatory stance of
Pres. Arroyo, Estrada was able to wangle “hospital arrest” for himself
and his son, Jinggoy. While Jinggoy managed to get a pass allowing
him to “clear (his) desk” as former mayor of San Juan, a move which
surprisingly, the Ombudsman did not oppose, this was immediately
rescinded because of Jinggoy’s violations of the restrictions on
the pass and the public hue and cry.
4. Mounted a public information drive regarding the need for allowing
live media coverage of the trial of Estrada’s plunder and other
criminal cases. Plunder Watch together with Bayan, Kompil II, etc.
filed an appeal to the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision
to ban live coverage. We continue to call for a lifting of this
ban and support the announcement of Justice Badoy that he himself
will file a motion for reconsideration on this issue.
5. Pushed for the arraignment of Estrada and other co-accused for
the crime of plunder and the start and continuation of trial despite
dilatory moves and harassment by the Defense.
6. Vigilance and quick action by Plunder Watch prevented another
public relations ploy of the Estrada camp when the Senate, through
its President Franklin Drilon, officially asked the Sandiganbayan
to grant Estrada leave to attend the celebration of the anniversary
of the Senate. The request was granted but Estrada, in a calculated
public display of magnanimity, did not avail of the pass because
he allegedly did not wish to unnecessarily strain the government’s
purse by having it spend for his extra security in the trip to the
Senate premises. We registered our vehement objection to (1) the
Senate request; (2) the Sandiganbayan permission; (3) and the Estrada
camp’s ploy to beef up Estrada’s image.
7. Plunder Watch took a principled position in the Garchitorena-Badoy
row and helped to prevent the success of a demolition job on Badoy
initiated and orchestrated by the Estrada camp.
8. Finally, Plunder Watch was the most consistent and persistent
in bringing to public attention the critical decision pending at
the Supreme Court over Estrada’s motion to dub the plunder law unconstitutional.
We mounted a 3-day noon-time vigil in front of the SC with a mass,
prayers and appeal to the justices that they vote on the basis of
principle and merit of the case at bar and not for any other considerations.
We were prepared to hold a big rally on the expected day of the
SC en banc to have final deliberations on the Estrada motion but
the SC held a special session and a 10-4-1 ruling was handed down
on the 19th upholding the law’s constitutionality.
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