‘Estrada getting fair trial’

Most Filipinos believe that jailed former President Joseph Estrada is getting a fair trial before the Sandiganbayan, and they want to see the proceedings on national television.

A public opinion survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) conducted on Sept. 1 to 18, showed that two out of three adult Filipinos think that the anti-graft court’s treatment of Estrada was "tama lang (just right)."

On the other hand, three out of four (75 percent) expressed hopes the hearings would be televised as against 25 percent who insisted they should not be covered live by television.

The same research poll showed that 23 percent believe that the Sandiganbayan was "masyadong mahigpit (too harsh)" on Estrada compared to 17 percent who believed that it was "masyadong mapagbigay (too lenient)."

Forty percent of the 1,200 voting-age Filipinos covered by the survey said that Estrada, who is facing a string of corruption charges including the capital offense of plunder, enriched himself during his 30-month reign, compared to 28 percent who indicated that the accusations were unfounded.

A "significant block" of 31 percent said they did not know enough to form a personal opinion.

Sixty-six percent of those interviewed noted that the court was neutral, 20 percent called it anti-Estrada, 12 percent said it was pro-Estrada, while a negligible two percent were undecided.

Previous SWS surveys also indicated the strong desire of the people, regardless of social and economic status, to watch the trial on television.

Meanwhile, the Sandiganbayan scrapped the hearings of Estrada’s plunder case scheduled for today and tomorrow due to a series of technical motions filed by his defense lawyers.

Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Anacleto Badoy Jr., chairman of the anti-graft court’s third division handling the plunder case against the former leader, said he had to suspend the hearings pending resolution of the new petitions seeking to nullify the trial conducted on Oct. 1 because of the court’s alleged violation of his right to choose a counsel of his own.

During that hearing, Estrada showed up in court without his lawyers, and wearing only a pair of sandals and khaki jackets and denims.

He refused to be represented by court-appointed lawyers. — Jose Rodel Clapano