MANILA, Philippines - When former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was in the country recently, he met up with his good friend former President Joseph Estrada. The two leaders, both acclaimed as men of the masses, were behind bars — Anwar in 1999-2004 for corruption, Erap in 2001-2007 for plunder. Anwar hopes to run for Prime Minister of Malaysia this year, while Erap is aiming to be the next mayor of Manila.
When Anwar was in UP to deliver a speech on Jose Rizal, Erap said: “Rizal was a hero who died for his convictions. My good friend Anwar and I are also men of convictions. That is why both of us were convicted.”