Magsaysay would have gone all out to jail Estrada

DAVAO CITY – There would have been no love lost between "The Guy" and "Asiong Salonga."

And no one knows this better than re-electionist Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. who said his father, the late President Ramon "The Guy" Magsaysay, would "have gone all out" to put disgraced President Joseph Estrada in jail.

"I think my father would have gone all out for Estrada’s prosecution," the senator said yesterday as the nation celebrated the 44th death anniversary of the original populist president who was killed in a plane crash in Cebu in 1953.

Estrada, who was launched to movie stardom in the 1960s after depicting hoodlum underdog Asiong Salonga, has said he admires The Guy for his sincerity as a "man of the masses."

Salonga enjoyed a "Robin Hood" reputation as his gang held up motorists and murdered rivals in Tondo, Manila in the early 1950s until he was killed during a drinking binge on a street corner.

But the senator said, except for having been elected president, there was no similarity between "The Guy" and Estrada.

"Don’t forget that my father was a very hardworking president. He worked even on Sundays," Magsaysay said, alluding to Estrada’s alleged disposition to flexible work hours.

"And he (the deceased Magsaysay) led a very spartan life," the senator added, contrasting The Guy’s simplicity and frugality to Estrada’s reputed intemperance.

"Besides, my father knew how to render justice. During his time, he was feared by those wanting to take advantage of government," the senator said.

"The issues have remained basically the same, like graft and corruption in the bureaucracy, but these are more complex now than 44 years ago," he added.

At the same time, Magsaysay appealed for more patience from people who are pressing the filing of criminal charges against Estrada since crimes like economic plunder are complex.

"We see the pressure is so strong especially from the civil society, from the young people," Magsaysay said. "But we are hoping they would understand the delay."

While the senator admitted that the government needs more witnesses to strengthen its case, he explained that the government is bent on pursuing the charges against Estrada if only to serve as an example to public officials.

"There must be a few more people to complete the pieces of evidence needed," Magsaysay said, assuring that Estrada would almost certainly be jailed.

However, he also noted that the timing of the filing of charges against Estrada is a crucial step that needs some consideration.

"It’s a judgment call for government if it files the charges before or after the elections," he said, belittling as only a "distortion" the supposed negative impact of the filing of charges on the election.

"That might have distortions in the results of the elections," he added.
But Magsaysay stressed that the Arroyo administration really needs to have a resounding victory in the polls because if the administration’s People Power Coalition fails to get at least nine seats in the Senate, it will not have control of the government.