Erap, disuniting the opposition

There’s a saying that says ‘If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen’. That’s the reason why Erap in 2001 stepped down and give way to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s presidency. He can’t bear the pressure that he had to quit. I can’t understand the logic of Erap’s stepping down. He may be a minority president but he was after all a duly elected one. The Supreme Court was very quick to issue a ruling that the presidency was vacant and it legalized PMAs installation as the country’s second woman president.

Have you ever wondered why Erap never set foot in a real jail? He was detained at the Veteran’s Hospital and his Mansion in Tanay Rizal but not in Munti like any other criminals. Erap was then subjected to a dramatic trial at the Sandiganbayan that lasted years until his conviction. Just days after he was convicted he was given a conditional pardon.
I’ve heard rhetoric from Erap’s family against the Arroyo’s but they were never harsh. Jinggoy, Erap’s son even formed an alliance with the majority of the Administration party at the senate. Erap was even blamed why the UNO did not win at the 2004 elections and the 2007 mid-term elections. When he declared his candidacy for the presidency, many people believed that it was done to disunite the opposition rather than unite it. With several presidentiables from the opposition, the chance of winning is very slim.

I’ve always have a hunch that Erap is doing PGMA and her allies a favor. Erap may criticize the present administration in the media but deep inside they have a deal. The fact that PGMA gave Erap a conditional pardon says it all. Nothing is impossible in the Philippine politics. Deals are done under the table. What our irresponsible media is feasting right now as a major news item is in fact, nothing but a charade.