After President Erap Estrada was forced out of his seat, a friend from UP told me that the US had a hand on it. It sounded crazy as all conspiracy theories. But I suspect it to be true.
A few years later, Erap came out in an interview confirming it. He alluded that the American did in fact meddle in his removal from office.
Apparently, the US wanted the Muslim separatist group, the MILF, to have their own government. In short, they want them in Mindanao.
Why?
According to Erap they saw in them a future partner. Mindanao’s location was strategically important. And he’s right when he said that the Americans were already preparing for a China confrontation. It’s happening right now.
Erap took all their camps. He did what no other Philippine president accomplish. He decisively defeated the MILF.
To put a period mark on his conquest, Erap ate lechon and drank beer in the enemy’s biggest camp, Abubakar. Maybe not the nicest thing to do but hey, Erap’s gonna be Erap.
Here’s what President Erap has to say about the whole US influence in kicking him out of office:
Coincidence?
President Clinton, who wanted Erap to abandon his war was a close friend of then-Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (PGMA). They were classmates at Georgetown University.
Erap’s military campaign against the MILF started and ended in 2000. He was ousted from office in January 2001.
Clinton publicly backed PGMA as Philippine president. He would have attended her inauguration if it weren’t for his book tour.
Learn from mistakes
What happened to Erap is a telltale example of what the US can do. Let’s say we disagree with Erap, that it wasn’t US pressure alone that ousted him, but still, they clearly meddled.
This is the reason why there was a need to steer away from the traditional alliance with the US. Something that Duterte did in his time. But even with less friendly US ties, they still meddle.
If we’re going to deal with our problems, let’s do it in our terms. We can’t allow foreign hands to draft our national policies. Especially those that involve our sovereignty.
