Three of our country’s former presidents are turning a year older on successive dates. Currently detained at The Hague, Netherlands, former president Rodrigo Duterte reaches 81 years old this Saturday, March 28. Then president-turned Pampanga Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) celebrates her 79th birthday on April 5. And former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada turns 89 years old on April 19.
The three of them also share the common fate of being detained at the end of their respective presidency. Estrada was not even able to complete his six-year term after a walkout cut short his impeachment trial at the Senate and he got ousted in the so-called EDSA-2 People Power Revolution in January 2001.
Then vice president GMA got sworn in to succeed and finish the remaining term of Erap. Subsequently, Erap was charged, underwent hospital and rest house detention until he was convicted by the Sandiganbayan on plunder and later GMA granted him executive pardon. This enabled Erap to run and win as mayor in the city of Manila.
On the other hand, GMA later got elected for six years and thus served the longest nine years in office at Malacañang. But the next administration of the late president Noynoy Aquino pursued the alleged election sabotage case on GMA’s “Hello, Garci” scandal. At the end of her presidency in 2010, she got elected as Lubao, Pampanga congresswoman.
GMA, however, was physically barred from leaving the country to undergo medical treatment for her spondylosis and placed under hospital detention in November 2011. While she was granted bail for the electoral sabotage charge in 2012, new charges of plunder were filed against her for alleged misuse of state lottery funds. GMA got re-elected though in Congress and for nearly five years she was in hospital detention. She was later acquitted in all cases and released in July 2016.
Like GMA and Erap, Duterte ran and won again as mayor of Davao City at the end of his presidency in June 2022. Fast forward: GMA is still in Congress. Retired, Erap just got discharged from hospital last Sunday after falling ill anew of pneumonia.
Ex-president Duterte marked a dramatic turn of events in his life on March 11 last year when he was flown out of the Philippines on the strength of an Interpol warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Mr. Duterte was turned over by Philippine government authorities to The Hague-based ICC to face alleged crimes against humanity on the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) of Filipinos during his administration’s bloody all-out illegal drugs war.
Incidentally, then Police Gen. Nicolas Torre III was celebrating his birthday on the same day March 11 last year when he led government authorities in the arrest of Mr. Duterte. Torre was rewarded with promotion on June 2 last year as PNP chief. Torre’s PNP leadership was short lived though.
Originally, Torre was supposed to step down as PNP chief when he reaches 56 years old. But his reaching the mandatory age of retirement is happening in 2028 yet. Torre was unceremoniously eased out last year after his controversial reshuffle of key senior PNP officers. Torre opted for early retirement but President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) appointed him as new general manager of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) last Dec. 19.
Torre recalled having to spend his birthday late at night only after Duterte’s plane took off. Joined by his battery of lawyers, ex-president Duterte staunchly tried but failed to stop the service and implementation of the Interpol warrant of arrest. Under the command of Torre, ex-president Duterte was whisked away on a chartered jet plane to The Hague.
The ICC prosecution has charged Mr. Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity of murder over at least 76 murders and violent crimes committed from 2013 to 2018. Represented by ICC-accredited lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman is defending ex-president Duterte. Kaufman reiterated his octogenarian client has exhibited “cognitive” difficulties, among other old-age related ailments. Kaufman succeeded in getting the ICC to allow his client to not physically attend confirmation of charges hearings that took place just last month.
Visited every now and then by his children led by Vice President Sara Duterte, they all confirmed that their patriarch suffers memory gaps. Former chief presidential counsel Salvador Panelo, who flew over and joined as one of the Filipino lawyers allowed to attend the confirmation hearing at The Hague, likewise echoed the same fears.
Not allowed to even talk directly with ex-president Duterte, Panelo disclosed all telephone conversations with him were restricted and being monitored. “And someone must be included in the telephone conversation to translate the exchanges either in English or Dutch language,” Panelo claimed.
But ex-president Duterte is not without friends and allies who still support and wish him well while far away from his homeland.
With 15 voting in favor, three opposing it and two abstaining, senators crossing party lines and adopted on Oct.2 last year Resolution 144 requesting the ICC to place former president Duterte under house arrest for humanitarian reasons. Signed by Senate majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senate minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano, they cited the advanced age and deteriorating health of Mr. Duterte. Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Sen. Raffy Tulfo, who hails from Davao, abstained.
If there is one politician who has closely worked with Mr. Duterte, Sotto pointed to himself when they waged together anti-illegal drugs campaign – without the EJKs – while both of them were still vice mayors. Sotto, 77 years old, recalled this bit of history during our Kapihan sa Manila Bay’s 11th anniversary last March 11.
Sotto could only send his well wishes to Mr. Duterte on his coming birthday: “Don’t let the old man in.”
It was a take-off about life advice by popular American action movie actor Clint Eastwood. The 94-year-old Hollywood actor shares this personal mantra to stay active, mentally young and refuse to let age limit one’s productivity. You cannot put a good, old man like him down.