VOA常速英语2007-Philippine Government Pardons Former President J

By Douglas Bakshian
Manila
25 October 2007

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo¹ has pardoned former President Joseph Estrada who was convicted in September of corruption² and sentenced to life in prison. Douglas Bakshian reports from Manila.

Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye says the pardon was granted under an existing government policy of releasing prisoners who are 70 years old, and because Estrada has publicly committed to not run for office again.

 

"Executive clemency⁴ to Joseph Ejercito Estrada, convicted by Sandiganbayan [anti-corruption court] of plunder⁵ and imposed the penalty of reclusion⁶ perpetual. He is hereby restored to his civil and political rights," said Bunye.

 

The action comes just days after Estrada asked Mrs. Arroyo to pardon him in what his lawyers described as the national interest. The former president had previously⁷ insisted he would reject any deal with Mrs. Arroyo.

 

Estrada was convicted in September after a six-year trial. He was found guilty of plunder for amassing⁸ millions of dollars while in office from illegal gambling⁹ and taking illegal commissions from the purchase of shares by government pension funds.

 

The Philippine media have been giving the pardon issue heavy coverage¹⁰ in recent days with editorials warning against the dangers of a deal favoring Estrada.

 

Former president Fidel Ramos also spoke³ out on the issue. In a television interview before the pardon, Mr. Ramos said Mrs. Arroyo must carefully consider the implications.

 

"It would be a terrible calamity¹¹ to the great, great, great majority of the Filipino people who suffered from the plunder that has been proven in court after due trial, beyond reasonable doubt," said Ramos. "She must consider and weigh very carefully what ordinary people might do. What the victims of the so-called plunder might do."

 

The case marks a bitter chapter in Philippine politics. Estrada was pushed from power by a popular revolt in 2001 with the backing of the military, and replaced by Mrs. Arroyo, who was then vice¹² president.

 

A former actor, Estrada was elected in 1998 by a huge margin¹³. He was popular among the country's poor who knew him from movie roles in which he played the hero of the underdog. He still popular with the masses and has always denied the charges against him.

1 arroyo   

n.干涸的河床，小河

参考例句：

• She continued along the path until she came to the arroyo.她沿着小路一直走到小河边。
• They had a picnic by the arroyo.他们在干枯的河床边野餐过。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 clemency   

n.温和，仁慈，宽厚

参考例句：

• The question of clemency would rest with the King.宽大处理问题，将由国王决定。
• They addressed to the governor a plea for clemency.他们向州长提交了宽刑的申辨书。

5 plunder   

vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠

参考例句：

• The thieves hid their plunder in the cave.贼把赃物藏在山洞里。
• Trade should not serve as a means of economic plunder.贸易不应当成为经济掠夺的手段。

6 reclusion   

n.隐居遁世，隐居生活；隐退

参考例句：

• Howard Hughes seems to have set the standard for today's hypochondriac celebrities' tics and reclusion. 霍华德·休斯似乎为如今强迫症名人们的怪癖和遁世树立了标杆。 来自互联网
• Howard Hughes seems to have set the standard for today's hypochondriac tics and reclusion. 霍华德？休斯(HowardHughes)似乎为如今强迫症名人们的怪癖和遁世树立了标杆。 来自互联网

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

8 amassing   

v.积累，积聚( amass的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The study of taxonomy must necessarily involve the amassing of an encyclopaedic knowledge of plants. 分类学研究一定要积累广博的植物知识。 来自辞典例句
• Build your trophy room while amassing awards and accolades. 建立您的奖杯积累奖项和荣誉。 来自互联网

9 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

10 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

11 calamity   

n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件

参考例句：

• Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

12 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

13 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。