Labor center presses courts to prosecute administration bigwigs after Estrada proven guilty of plunder

“The guilty verdict against Estrada is a stern warning to those in government, especially those in Malacañang. But the wheels of justice must not stop with guilty verdict on the plunder case against Estrada. The courts has the obligation to go after administration bigwigs who are entangled in even bigger cases of plunder like the broadband deal and the Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard, to name a few.”

This was the statement today by the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) LaborCenter after the Sandigan Bayan found Joseph Estrada guilty of plunder. The KMU was part of EDSA 2 which removed Estrada from power and part of Plunder Watch which filed cases against the former president.

“Malacañang is quick to hail the decision as victory of our justice system but the real test of a working system of justice is that no one is spared from the law, including those in power. The workers will remain skeptical of the fairness of our justice and see the events that transpired today as political persecution until the courts can prosecute, not only the opponents of the Arroyo regime, but also those who are part of her cabal, like Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos and former Department of Transportation and Communication (DoTC) secretary Leandro Mendoza, who are both involved in a multi-billion peso national broadband network (NBN) scam,” said Lito Ustarez, Executive Vice-President of the KMU.

“The abuses of the current regime do not only cover plunder but also grave labor and human rights violations. The more than 1,000 cases of political killings and enforced disappearances are crying for justice. We wait to see the day those who are guilty of murdering and abducting our fellow workers are made to pay for their crimes, just like what happened in Colombia last August 28, 2007, wherein 4 soldiers involved in killings of union officials were sentenced to 40 years in prison after they were proven to have killed 3 union officials and made them look like guerillas killed in combat,” ended Ustarez.