Palace pushes reconciliation with Erap

Malacañang said on Sunday it would continue to extend the hand of reconciliation to former president Joseph Estrada and ignore efforts by the opposition to derail national unity. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor expressed this resolved in reaction to the demands of Senate President Franklin Drilon. Drilon has urged the Malacañang to stop working for Estrada's temporary liberty, saying it would be better if the matter be left to graft court. "We have always made it clear. We respect the authority of the Sandiganbayan and the legal and judicial processes surrounding the former President's case," Defensor, who has been spearheading reconciliation talks with opposition leaders, said in a telephone interview. "There is nothing wrong in what we're doing. We will continue this effort for the sake of national unity," he said. Drilon on Saturday criticized the Palace for allegedly trying to influence the Sandiganbayan by talking about its efforts to secure Estrada’s temporary release. Defensor said any move to secure Erap’s temporary liberty for the sake of reconciliation should be planned properly before it will be presented to the Sandiganbayan. Even the Philippine National Police, another agency that has to be consulted on Estrada's possible temporary liberty, has yet to give its opinion on his proposal, he said. Defense lawyers have long been trying to have Estrada, placed under house arrest in his posh San Juan residence. However, state prosecutors have been firm in opposing the move saying house arrest is not allowed under the law, especially for capital crimes that are punishable by death. Estrada, who is accused of amassing more than P4 billion and stashing the proceeds in a secret local bank account during his 31-month presidency, is detained in his rest house in Tanay, Rizal province. Secretary Ermita said effort to reach out to the opposition are part of President Arroyo's 10-point agenda, which includes "healing the wounds of Edsa." referring to the people power revolutions that ousted the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Estrada in 2001. "We will try to determine the security implications of Mr. Estrada's temporary release because there are some who think that he may be part of destabilization attempts against the government, so we will see," Defensor said. He also scored the Senate president for trying the derail reconciliation attempts and muzzle efforts by the Executive branch to reach out to Estrada. Drilon was one of those who pushed for Estrada's plunder trial in 2000 and shed tears after the famous "second envelope" of evidence against the deposed leader was not opened. "Last week he was seen hearing Mass with Mr. Estrada. Where does he really stand? He's sending mixed signals that do not help the country. People are tired of politics," Defensor said. -GMANEWS.TV