Erap pa rin!

TULOY-TULOY ang pagsisilbi ni Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada. Ito ay matapos ibasura ng Korte Suprema sa botong 11-3 ang disqualification case laban sa kanya.

Matatandaang una nang idineklara ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) na kuwalipikado si Erap na tumakbo sa pagka-mayor noong May 2013 election, at kinatigan naman ito ng SC.

Kinilala ng Kataas-taasang Hukuman ang “absolute pardon” na ibinigay kay Erap ni dating Presidente at ngayo’y Pampanga Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, na nangangahulugan umano na ibinalik ang lahat ng kanyang mga karapatan kabilang ang kanyang “political rights.”

Ayon kay Erap, “The SC decision vindicated me and reaffirmed the people’s decision in giving me the mayoral position. This decision is not just for me but for the people who trust me. Maybe, there were a lot who were praying for me. This means we will continue working for the city of Manila. I thank the Supreme Court for giving us victory. The voice of the people is the voice of God.”

Si Erap ay ibinoto ng 349,770 Manilenyo noong 2013 mayoralty election.

Ayon naman kay Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, “The Supreme Court decision is a triumph of the will of the Filipino masses, especially the electorate of the City of Manila to choose their rightful leader. We know that this petition filed by a losing opponent was merely a ploy to derail his plans of transforming Manila into a dynamic and progressive metropolis, which my father is now doing. I hope that the recent decision of the highest court of the land puts to final rest all questions and uncertainties over the pardon given to my father President Mayor Joseph Estrada and his eligibility to run for public office.”

Ang naturang SC decision ay ipinagbunyi ng mga residente ng Maynila na umaasang wala nang anumang magiging hadlang pa sa plano ni Erap na ipursige ang tuloy-tuloy na pag-unlad ng lungsod at ang pagbibigay ng de-kalidad na serbisyo publiko. Kasabay nito, madamdamin nilang isinigaw ang slogan ng lungsod – “Manila: Forward Ever! Backward Never!”