I am sure we have prayed to be saved long before Ping Lacson did. His prayer, if he was serious, came rather late.
If for anything, Ping’s prayer only dealt rather extensively on the charges first raised against Erap Estrada when he faced his aborted impeachment in 2001. But they came rather too late to further bring down the deposed president, but it is coming yet too early to propel the candidacy of Ping’s choice.
Or maybe Ping’s prayer had its subliminal message, not to the presidentiable of his choice but to the sitting president, or so she wants to be addressed, on whose hands lie the magic wand to extricate Ping from the Dacer-Corbito double murder case, in which Ping would soon link Erap and probably make him the central figure in these killings.
Why Ping declared Erap evil — nine years after he became one of the last men to declare support to Edsa II, and rather begrudgingly — was a surprise, and what with the declaration of supposed Erap crimes, which he, as the top police general during Erap’s aborted reign, did nothing to stop.
Erap, as expected, did not wait long to defend himself.
On Ping’s accusations he forced the Yuchengco family’s sale of its PLDT shares to Manny Pangilinan, Erap claimed he had no hand in whatever was claimed as a deal done above board. "Ang trabaho niya (Ping) pulis. Hindi ko alam kung bakit nakikialam sya sa mga pribadong transaksyon na katulad nito," he said.
On Ping’s accusation he was involved in rice and dressed chicken smuggling, Erap claimed to have removed the task of stopping smuggling from Gen. Gerry Calimlim’s Task Force Aduana and transferred the job to Ping’s own PAOCTF.
"Pinalitan ko yung Task Force Aduana para siguraduhin na maputol ang smuggling. Kung may pinapaburan ako, bakit ko pa ililipat sa PAOCTF? Inalis ko sa Aduana yan at nagging responsibilidad niya yan. Kung meron akong kinalaman sa smuggling, inalis ko sana sa mga bata niya yan," Erap countered.
Erap, however, did not deny the jueteng payola that came from Chavit. Erap even offered the information that Chavit had indeed given at least P200 million which directly went to the Erap Muslim Youth Foundation, which he said was composed of respected individuals, including University of the Philippines professors as its board of directors.
"Wala akong alam na tinatanggihan si Ping. Basta ang alam ko si Chavit pilit ng pilit magbigay. Kung interesado ako sa jueteng, sana ibinulsa ko na lang ang pera na yan. Pero inilagay ko pa yan sa foundation. Inamin ko naman yan sa Sandiganbayan," he quipped.
He confirmed telling Ping to go slow on jueteng for a reason. Erap claimed he had tasked former Justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma, and then former Pagcor chairman Alice Reyes to study the legalization of the numbers game, which, later on, sparked Erap’s impeachment and subsequently, Edsa II.
All these, of course, would have a telling effect on Estrada’s planned candidacy as they have reminded the people of the reasons he was booted out of the Palace to let in a leader who proved to have turned worse than the one she replaced. In fact, she had turned to be the worst president this country ever had.
Despite these, however, there remains a big chunk of voters who are rabid Estrada supporters. Whatever Ping claims, he can no longer take those votes away from Estrada’s masses.
Erap was proved right when he said Ping’s ire was stoked only when he denied his plea to reconsider his plan of seeking the presidency anew, and throw his support to Noynoy Aquino, instead.
Noynoy, if the SWS surveys, or trending as many others claimed, would prove to be a formidable candidate his support from Ping is like an empty basket. It would be a different story, however, if he would be able to get Erap to raise his hands.
But with the elections still eight months away, and with the other candidates fast building up their campaigns, including Gibo Teodoro, the most possible Malacañang bet, what Ping did was chink the opposition armor and keep the anti-Gloria forces fractured.
And so, it’s Gloria’s gain once again.
