Jinggoy's new image

Almost 10 years ago when Max Soliven and I first visited Jinggoy and Joseph Estrada at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center where they were both detained, Jinggoy seemed at his lowest point  depressed, downtrodden and confused. The future seemed bleak for him. With father and son both facing charges of plunder without bail, one can only imagine what Jinggoy must have been going through, seeing the mortification that his father was experiencing at the sudden and steep fall from Malacañang Palace to jail.

At 48, Senator Jinggoy has certainly accumulated a considerable amount of experience — political and otherwise — that others his age may never encounter in their lifetime. He was vice mayor at 25 and at 29, he was the youngest ever to be elected mayor. The future seemed to be in his favor - but then came the impeachment trial of his father, then EDSA 2 and his eventual incarceration for almost two years.  

But the young senator remarkably reinvented himself almost overnight, leaving behind all the baggage of dejection and bitterness he had, including shedding off 50 pounds from his weight. With the help of his father, he carefully carved a path of astounding political comeback and success starting in 2004 when he and his mother, Dra. Loi Ejercito, made history — mother and son elected as senators — a victory that supporters hailed as a vindication for the former president even while he was still in detention. And no matter how the so-called “cacique” elite (who were largely responsible for the ouster of Estrada in 2001) showed a condescending attitude towards the movie actor, absolutely no one can deny the fact that Joseph Ejercito Estrada continues to enjoy a solid following with his eldest son Jinggoy obtaining 18,925,925 votes during the 2010 national elections. That incredible number represents 49.61 percent of the total number of Filipinos who turned out to cast their votes.

No doubt Jinggoy belongs to a new generation of emerging powerful politicians in the country today. And because he happens to be a president’s son like P-Noy, many political observers see him as the man to watch. Today, Jinggoy looks so much younger having managed to lose a lot of weight. His new spectacles have given him that added air of astute perception that people are beginning to notice during Senate hearings and investigations. Being politically flexible, he quickly modified his tack in questioning witnesses after the death of Angie Reyes, but still maintaining the kind of down-to-earth candor and straightforwardness that many Filipinos like to see.

I spoke with Jinggoy by phone the other day about the forthcoming impeachment trial of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. He told me he plans to spend the Easter break with a litigation lawyer familiar with the constitutional process and give him a full briefing about trial procedures. Jinggoy went to UP but opted to finish in Lyceum with an AB economics degree. His father told me he took up law but by then he was already very active in politics. From what his people tell me, the young senator (who actually finished elementary and high school at the Ateneo) never attends Senate hearings and investigations unprepared, meticulously studying all the angles in any issue. Many people have observed how incisive and intelligent his questions are.

Senators are supposed to be the “cream of the crop” since only a selected few make it to the “Magic 24.” No question the people will be carefully watching the coming impeachment trial and observing how their senators conduct themselves. But perhaps more than the others, it is Jinggoy Estrada who will be closely watched. For one, Merci Gutierrez is perceived to be close to former president and now congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who replaced his ousted father. Certainly, Jinggoy knows only too well just what it’s like to go through an impeachment trial, with the shoe now being on the other foot, so to speak. He vows he will be impartial and objective.

One important factor motivating Jinggoy Estrada is to see to it that the constitutional process will be strictly followed and that the rule of law will prevail over emotionalism and “mob rule” (as Time magazine described EDSA 2) which is exactly what happened in 2001 when the prosecutors walked out, eventually aborting the impeachment proceedings. The “presiding judge,” Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, has made it clear: He will not allow comments from the peanut gallery and has given a stern warning to everyone that he will not tolerate any disruption even if they “hang (him) upside down or right side up.” No ifs or buts, anyone who tries to pull a stunt will be arrested, Enrile promised.

Hopefully, things will indeed be different this time. As we have repeatedly stated many times before, this will be a true test of our political maturity and more importantly, we will see if our current Constitution really works. The days of the Spanish “cacique” or the landed rich mentality that arrogates power with the attitude “kami pwede, kayo hindi” should be done away with forever. Rules are made to be followed, and no group or individual should be allowed to change them just to suit a certain motive or agenda — which hopefully we all learned from the lessons of the recent past.

They say that adversity can bring about great lessons and opportunity, and for the Estradas, they have proven in no uncertain terms that they still have considerable political clout, and have vowed to use it “for the greater good for the greater number” of Filipinos. And unlike the bleak prospect he faced a decade ago, the future now more than ever clearly belongs to Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada.

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