Erap gets 3-day Lenten retreat

The Sandiganbayan granted yesterday the request of ousted President Joseph Estrada for a Lenten retreat at his villa in Tanay, Rizal, but said the retreat shall only be for three days — from Maundy Thursday to Black Saturday.

In a two-page resolution, Justices Edilberto Sandoval, Teresita Leonardo-de Castro and Ma. Cristina Cortez-Estrada said Estrada should be back at his detention quarters at Camp Capinpin not later than 5 p.m. on April 10.

"We resolve to accord affirmative relief to the plea of the accused," the court said in the resolution, a copy of which was obtained by reporters.

The 66-year-old Estrada asked the anti-graft court Monday to allow him to enjoy a six-day Lenten retreat that was supposed to start yesterday and end on Easter Sunday, saying he needs time to reflect, meditate and seek strength from God.

The Sandiganbayan said it granted the request since the retreat will "not entail any further expense on the part of the government," and noted that the prosecutors did not object to Estrada’s retreat but to holding it at his resthouse, which sits on a 15-hectare property across the military camp where he is detained.

The anti-graft court said it sees nothing wrong with Estrada’s request, since it is the "pervading spirit among Catholics and the entire Christendom during the Lenten season" and that it is part of the "culture, tradition and practice among the Filipino people."

The justices also reminded Philippine National Police chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. to take charge of the security measures in Estrada’s retreat.

The Sandiganbayan also said that an earlier request by Estrada to be allowed to go to his villa for two hours each day, brought about by the lack of water in his detention quarters, has become moot "as by that time the problem of unavailability of water supply may have been definitely remedied."

Government prosecutors, led by Dennis Villa Ignacio, had opposed Estrada’s request, saying it will be "more attuned to the sanctity and spirit of the Lenten season if Estrada, for once, forgo his earthly comforts and convenience as his offerings to the Lord."

The government sparked a furor last month when authorities admitted that Estrada was being allowed occasional visits to his villa even without a court permit. — With AFP