Estrada off to US soon?

Deposed President Joseph Estrada may soon be allowed to fly to the United States to undergo knee surgery as President Arroyo has strongly hinted she is seeking reconciliation with Estrada’s supporters.

In a late afternoon press conference last Wednesday in Davao City, she said the "silent majority" does not want divisiveness in the country and that they want her to be the recognized president of both the "EDSA II and EDSA III" groups — referring to those who supported her in January 2001 and Estrada’s supporters, respectively.

"This is what we want, (a) healing of deep divisions, reconciliation. In my experience the past two and a half years, in the final analysis, reforms and reconciliation will heal the wounds of our divisiveness," the President said.

When asked if reconciling with the Estrada camp is included in her "reforms and reconciliation," Mrs. Arroyo said there is nothing new in her stand on the issue since she made this commitment during her State of the Nation Address in 2001.

"So I’m just being consistent. Even (with) the wheels of justice turning, I don’t think we have to heap indignity on President Estrada," she said, citing that Estrada was transferred to the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa City because the needed facilities were there.

The President also aired her views on the petition filed by Estrada’s lawyers, pending before the Sandiganbayan, that their client be allowed to undergo knee surgery in the US.

"Now as far as the substance of the case is concerned, that’s for the Sandiganbayan (to decide). So we let the wheels of justice turn. But we have to treat the individuals, the principals concerned, with the dignity those who admire them and see them as (a) reflection of themselves expect them to be treated," she said.

Mrs. Arroyo explained that "we have to be mindful of the personal circumstances of the former president. This is in deference to the many, many Filipinos who see in his situation a mirror of their own persecuted situation."

"That is one way by which we try to bridge the gap between EDSA II and EDSA III," she said.

The President also said she will seek the "guidance" of Catholic Church leaders on her administration’s moves toward reconciliation with other groups.

"I am seeking guidance from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on how we can move forward in the reconciliation," she said.

In dealing with the 12,500-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the President said she consults with the Mindanao-based Bishop-Ulama Forum, a congregation of Catholic and Christian bishops and Muslim ulamas. The forum has been taking an active role in helping facilitate the peace process with the MILF.

Doctors attending to Estrada have reiterated their diagnosis that their patient must undergo knee surgery in the US where Dr. Christopher Moe, Estrada’s knee surgeon, will be best able to attend to the operation.

Dr. Lorenzo Hocson of the Makati Medical Center (MMC), a nephew of the ousted president, said the osteoarthritis in Estrada’s left knee was aggravating his back pain caused by multiple slipped discs, a condition that can leave him paralyzed. Both of Estrada’s knees have torn ligaments.

Hocson said they will request the Sandiganbayan again to allow him to go to the US for knee surgery, adding that one of the factors that aggravated his knee problem was his back problem.

If their petition is rejected, Hocson said they will offer Estrada "available options" but did not elaborate.

Hocson earlier said they suspect Estrada has been suffering from a slipped disc for the past four to six weeks. He said Estrada was suffering from such severe back pains he could no longer move.

He recommended Estrada’s confinement at Asian Hospital because the hospital specializes in treating spinal problems.

Hocson blamed the Arroyo administration for Estrada’s health problems, saying that Estrada’s operation should have been allowed earlier.

While Estrada had been detained at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC), he did not receive proper care, Hocson said, noting that the former president was confined to his room. The former president, he said, was not allowed to take long walks nor be exposed to sunlight in the morning.

Estrada, 66, had enjoyed a weekend furlough that enabled him to visit his 98-year-old mother in San Juan and was supposed to be brought back before nightfall Monday to Camp Capinpin, an Army base in Tanay, Rizal, after undergoing a battery of medical tests at the MMC but was rushed instead to Asian Hospital.

He will remain confined at Asian Hospital for a few days under heavy police guard for further tests.

In a previous interview, Estrada told The STAR his lawyers had manifested to the Sandiganbayan that he will immediately fly back to Manila as soon as his knee surgery and rehabilitation are completed in the US.

Contrary to government prosecutors’ claims that he might take the opportunity to escape and hide from justice if the Sandiganbayan grants his petition, Estrada said he had twice been offered during the early days of the Arroyo administration to leave the country but he refused.

"Everybody knows me. How could I hide if everyone knows me?" he said.

Last year, the Sandiganbayan thumbed down a bid by Estrada to seek medical attention in the US for various ailments including gout and eye problems. The court said medical treatment is available in the country.

He was earlier held at VMMC, a military hospital in Quezon City for two years. He was transferred to Camp Capinpin on Oct. 16 because of alleged "terrorist threats" by unnamed groups.

Estrada is on trial at the Sandiganbayan for allegedly amassing more than P4 billion during his 31-month presidency and stashing the proceeds in a secret local bank account under the name Jose Velarde. — With Edith Regalado