Muslims back Estrada arrest

COTABATO CITY — Most Muslims in central Mindanao believe former President Estrada does not deserve any sympathy for the ordeal he is now going through.

Majority of the Muslims in the region were angered when the deposed President feasted last year on lechon (roasted pork) inside a Madrasah school building in Camp Abubakar, the former bastion of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, to celebrate the fall of the enclave after a week-long military offensive.

For Muslims, Camp Abubakar, which soldiers overrun on July 9 last year, is a hallowed ground where eating of pork and drinking of wine are both forbiden.

Estrada, until now, continues to draw flak from various sectors in Central Mindanao for his deposed administration’s pacification campaign in Mindanao last year that displaced some 80,000 people, mostly impoverished Muslims.

"What was more hurting for us was his eating of lechon inside a Madrasah school in Camp Abubakar," commented human rights advocate Kadil Sinolinding Jr., an eye surgeon.

Meanwhile, the Workers Alliance in Region III (WAR III) has expressed "joy" over the arrest of Estrada "who brought suffering, shame, and disgrace to the Filipinos and the whole country during his short term as president."

"It shows that no one is exempted from the law," said Vice Gov. Clayton Olalia.

In a statement, WAR III said that "the Filipino people hope that the arrest of Estrada will signal the start of a speedy trial and a conviction that is long overdue.

WAR III noted that "Estrada, together with his cronies, stripped the country of its wealth and issued orders which brought the Filipino people, especially the workers, to their knees."

"During Estrada’s reign of terror as president, poverty heightened, as opposed to his slogan ‘Erap para sa mahirap’. Unemployment rate skyrocketed as more than 66,293 workers were laid off," it added.

It also said that "contractualization, casualization, agency-hiring, and the like were fully implemented so that Estrada’s capitalist cronies could gain billions and billions of pesos in profits while the worker’s wages were reduced to levels that correspond to a mouse’s lifestyle.

In a related development, the cause-oriented group Agco is leading Pangasinan’s celebration with the serving of the arrest warrant on Estrada.

Agco leaders said Erap’s arrest is another people’s victory in the fight against corruption and a score for good government.

"It is a proud moment for Filipinos, proving to the world that they have learned valuable lessons from history. Although the group believes in compassion and forgiveness, these, according to its leaders, should be based on justice, said Dr. Edmund Mendoza, Phd., Agco convenor.

The message was echoed by former Dagupan mayor and Agco convenor, Inday de Venecia. She believes that Erap’s prosecution, conviction and punishment will serve as a stern warning to grafters in government, both national and local.

Erap Agco La! was in the forefront of Pangasinan’s campaign to oust Erap and promote good government. It is chaired by former CBCP President and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz. — With Ding Cervantes