MANILA, Philippines – And they said irony was dead.

Although he was ousted in a popular uprising in 2001, convicted of plunder in 2007 and granted executive clemency a month later, former President Joseph Estrada told a class of graduating students to “conquer widespread corruption and cheating in society.”

Estrada was the guest speaker during the 41st commencement exercises of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) on Friday.

In his speech, he joked that in his six years in elementary level, four years in high school and three years in college “lagi akong nakikinig sa professors, ngayon sila naman ang makikinig sa akin [I listened to my professors, now the professors listen to me].”

Perfect speaker

PLM president and United Opposition spokesman Adel Tamano said Estrada, although a college dropout, was the “perfect” graduation speaker because he was an example of a leader.

Estrada, who had hinted he might once again run for president, recently came up with a tentative list of senatorial candidates that included Tamano.

In his speech, the former president hit the Arroyo administration, saying corruption scandals had taken a toll on the country’s economy along with the global financial crisis.

Estrada, who turns 72 today, was ousted from Malacañang in 2001 by EDSA II, paving the way for then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to assume the presidency.

Ms Arroyo pardoned Estrada a month after the Sandiganbayan convicted him of plunder in 2007.

Series of scandals

“Funds for the poor go to the pockets of corrupt government officials under this administration,” Estrada said, referring to the $329-million National Broadband Network scandal, the $2-million extortion case of former Justice Secretary Hernani Perez and the P728-million fertilizer fund scam.

“Naghihirap na nga ang mga magsasaka, ninanakawan pa [The farmers are already poor, yet this administration continues to steal from them],” he added.

“In the present crisis, government is not the solution to the problem because the government is the problem,” he said, quoting his “idol” former US President Ronald Reagan.

Estrada also asked the graduates to continue learning and to study why the country remained poor despite alleged programs for poverty alleviation.

“Bakit hindi umuunlad ang bansa kahit matatalino ang mga Filipino? (Why is the country not moving forward when Filipinos are smart?),” he said.

English this way

Estrada noted: “Panay nga ang Ingles eh. Wala naman kasi sa Inglesan yan [They speak English fluently. But progress does not depend on your ability to speak English well].”

While he criticized the Arroyo administration for neglecting the education sector, he extolled his own donations for scholarship programs. He said the Erap Para sa Mahirap Foundation had so far produced 12,000 graduates.

He said he had set up measures to make education affordable for the youth because an “uneducated people results in a weak society.”

Final message

Estrada lamented that Filipinos were forced to work as domestic helpers abroad due to lack of employment opportunities at home. He said this made foreigners think that Filipinos could only perform menial jobs, citing Chip Tsao, the Hong Kong columnist who labeled the Philippines as “a nation of servants.”

“Kailan tayo makakaahon sa kahirapan? Kailan maitatawid ang mahihirap sa kalbaryo ng gutom? Kailan maibabangon ang ating dignidad sa mata ng ibang bansa? [When do we rise up from poverty? When do we liberate our people from hunger? When do we reclaim our dignity in the eyes of the world]?” he said.

Estrada gave this final message to the graduates: “We must rebuild this country today or we may not have a country to be proud of tomorrow.”