BY PETER J.G. TABINGO

PRESIDENT Joseph Estrada yesterday asked the Sandiganbayan Special Division to allow him to campaign for senatorial candidates of the Genuine Opposition.

Rene Saguisag, Estrada’s co-lead counsel, said in a seven-page motion that as an acknowledged leader of the opposition, Estrada has the right to drum up support for the opposition.

"He should have a sporting chance to argue on the choice of choosing between one who supposedly stole money and another who supposedly stole an election among other issues," he said.

Estrada has been under house arrest at the family’s rest house in Tanay, Rizal, while awaiting the verdict on plunder charges, an offense that carries a life term in jail.

He is barred from receiving any visitors, particularly politicians seeking endorsement, supposedly for security reasons.

Saguisag said Estrada’s decision to help the opposition campaign is proof that he supports democratic processes.

He also questioned the basis for the order barring Estrada from granting any interview to the media without prior clearance from the Special Division.

"He is not a bad person or an unreasonable one who would advocate violence. Precisely, he is for the ballot, not the bullet. The nation is gearing for an important election in May. All sorts of ideas must be sold in the marketplace. Now may be as good as any to define the most prudent position here, with all due respect, on media interviews," Saguisag said.

Saguisag said the court’s policy is even more draconian than the martial law regime under the Marcos administration.

"When Ninoy Aquino ran for the Batasan in 1978, even the dictatorship allowed him to address the nation on national television… Ninoy’s ideas and messages were allowed by Mr. Marcos to be freely publicized. For those of us who suffered then, we understood the restraints under martial law. But, at a time when we have wider democratic space, why is movant, as a leader of the opposition, denied access to the people?" Saguisag said.

Estrada said the confiscation of his mobile phones and the restriction on the visit of his political supporters are part of the administration’s efforts to cripple him and the opposition.

He likewise demanded to see the supposed intelligence reports and other documents that were used as basis for the tightening of Estrada’s security reportedly on orders of national security adviser Norberto Gonzales.

"It is our humble opinion that movant (Estrada) should be allowed access to information involving supposed threats so he may be able to take necessary precautions and help thwart them, assuming such exist," his lawyers said.

Political analysts believed that prohibiting Estrada from granting interviews was an effort to prevent Arroyo’s political foes from increasing their electoral chances.

"Estrada continues to provide the critical mass for the opposition forces," said Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms.

"His political influence remains very strong in certain sectors of society and in wide areas across the country. He can still pull about 25 percent of the votes," he said.

The elections are important for Arroyo, Casiple said, adding that if the opposition wins one-third of the seats in the House, she could be impeached when the legislature convenes in July. – With Reuters