Happy 54th Birthday, President Macapagal-Arroyo - ROSES AND THORNS by Alejandro R. Roces

Today is President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s 54th birthday anniversary. We wish her all the best and above everything else, we hope and pray that the Abu Sayyaf does not make good its threat to behead American hostage Jeffrey Craig Schilling as its birthday gift to the President. Alexander Pope once referred to a birthday as "the funeral of the former year." Schilling, to the best of our knowledge, never committed a crime against the Abu Sayyaf. He went to them voluntarily and was made a hostage because the Abu Sayyaf thought the United States would pay a ransom for his release simply because he was an American. But the United States government has a policy. They don’t ransom American kidnap victims because that would just result in more Americans being kidnapped in all places where governments cannot impose law and order.

The best thing the Abu Sayyaf can do with Schilling is to release him. He has no ransom value. So they are saddled with the task of guarding and with the expense of feeding him. They gain nothing by executing him and doing it to ruin President Macapagal-Arroyo’s natal day will just make things worse for them. The President has just suspended the death penalty. An atrocity will be a sick response from any group to such a humane gesture.

Last Tuesday, the Supreme Court reaffirmed its earlier verdict upholding the legitimacy of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s presidency and ousted President Estrada’s loss of immunity from criminal charges. This means that the Ombudsman can proceed with the filing of the seven charges against the deposed president. All the seven involve plunder and plunder is an unbailable offense. So if things go as they should, Estrada will be arrested and detained even before the trial begins. We can reasonably expect that his coming trial will draw as much attention as his impeachment in the Senate. We don’t know if it will be televised. If it is, it will be the main focus of public attention. It will definitely draw more attention than the current elections. The irony is that the election rallies nowadays are mostly for entertainment. Issues are seldom discussed. The trial is not for entertainment but the public will prefer to see the progress of the trial over the most popular entertainment programs on television. This is a healthy sign. It means that our people are getting more educated.

If and when Estrada is arrested, the first problem will be: Where to detain him? Some have even suggested a place somewhere in Corregidor. The reason why this problem will crop up is because it had no precedent. This is the first time in our history that a former president faces criminal charges. The important thing is that the trial must have transparency. So, unless there are legal impediments, it would be good if it could be televised.

We have said this many times before, that following the American precept, an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. In other countries, there is no presumption of either innocence or guilt. That is what the courts are trying to determine and everyone just waits for the results. That is, perhaps, the best attitude to take in the coming trial of deposed President Estrada. Let the evidence decide.