Palace to Erap: Seek amnesty first, don’t embarrass Arroyo

If he decides to go for amnesty, then former President Joseph Estrada must first apply for it, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol said Monday. Apostol, one of the prosecutors at Estrada's impeachment trial in 2000, said he has not brought up the matter with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo since Estrada's conviction last Wednesday on plunder charges. "Estrada must apply for amnesty. He must formally ask for it. If the Palace were to offer it to him and he refused, then President Arroyo would be embarrassed," he said in Filipino on dzRH radio. However, Apostol said the only amnesty program Malacañang has discussed so far is for communist rebels. "The Palace has drafted an amnesty proposal but this is for the National Democratic Front, Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People's Army," he said. Asked if the matter had been taken up at all in the Palace after Estrada's conviction, Apostol said that, "No, nothing, we haven't talked about it." Last Sunday, Estrada's spokesman Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said the former president is amenable to amnesty from Malacañang but wants to read the "fine print" first. Rodriguez said Estrada will likely accept the amnesty if it extinguishes his criminal liability. The Sandiganbayan Special Division sentenced the 70-year-old Estrada to reclusion perpetua or up to 40 years imprisonment. As this developed, Apostol said the Palace has stopped making light of Estrada's conviction, following angry reactions from Estrada's supporters. Apostol earned flak for making the victory sign when interviewed by reporters shortly after Estrada was convicted. "They don't want me to joke, I won't joke," he said. When asked if Arroyo plans to visit Estrada anytime soon, he said, "there are no plans for that now." - GMANews.TV