Executive Clemency

The past month has exploded not just some diesel and methane gas (or so they say) in Glorietta, but a series of issues that overlapped each other. The most recent of which is the unprecedented (but very much expected) executive clemency (a.k.a. presidential pardon) of former President Joseph Estrada. Thanks to this, the public was once again veered away from the controversies that the administration has been avoiding to answer, in one reason or another.

With the most recent pardon of former President Estrada, we'll see a lot of changes and development in the coming months, namely:

1. Silence of Erap from issues regarding the current Presidency ("never bite the hand that feeds you")
2. Political accomodations from the Erap camp (read: COMELEC).
3. Former Mayor Atienza and incumbent Mayor Lim shall now join forces (?!)
4. Clarifications about ZTE and cash gift shall no longwer be necessary
5. We'll forever be made to believe that the Glorietta incident was merely an accident, and never a bombing

These and a lot more are in store for us in the coming months. We'll see an even more exciting political situation. In the end of all these "hullabaloo thing" (per Gov. Vilma Santos), the victims are the people who originally believed in what they were fighting for. Now, the recent developments made them more confused; definitely not united, as what the administration tells us of the purpose for the pardon.

Let's just hope the administration knows what it's doing. Time is running out.

"Siyempre papasalamatan ko po iyung ating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sa kanyang pagbibigay sa akin ng executive clemency. Kung hindi niya ako binigyan ng executive clemency ay hindi niyo ako kaharap ngayong gabi. Kaya pasalamatan po nating siya, palakpakan po natin." -- Former President Joseph Estrada, in his address to the people of San Juan.