Word: pardon
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Pardon us for raining on this parade of jubilation. A “milestone” the research of groups in Japan and Wisconsin may be, but their method does not yet negate the need for controversial research on embryonic stem cells. Scientists and supporters of stem cell research should not allow conservatives to declare victory and should persevere in their fight to eliminate restrictions on embryonic stem cell research...
...protest movement dubbed People Power II after the nonviolent revolution that overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. In September, the country's anticorruption court convicted Estrada of plundering more than $15 million while in office and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Yet on Oct. 25, Arroyo granted Estrada a pardon on the grounds that he had already served more than six years under house arrest. Arroyo painted the pardon as a bid for national reconciliation. But her critics impute a more cynical motive: Estrada, who remains wildly popular among the masses, has been a virulent opponent of her administration; pardoning...
...Many Filipinos impute less altruistic motives. Estrada, a former B-list movie actor, remains hugely influential among average Filipinos - particularly compared to Arroyo. Indeed, a recent survey found that Estrada remains much more popular and more credible than the current President. Before the pardon, Estrada refused to accept the legitimacy of the Arroyo government. Letting him off, critics say, may be a way of muting his criticism and defusing the resentment of his followers. (As part of his deal with the administration, Estrada has promised not to run for office...
...Arroyo's critics, the timing of the pardon is suspect. The day before it was announced, a whistle-blower testifying in the Senate about the telecom deal alleged that her husband, Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo, was supposed to get $70 million in kickbacks from the now-canceled contract. (He has denied it). For Arroyo, this is an opportune time to change the subject...
...however politically expedient and however popular with the masses, the decision to pardon Estrada in a nation struggling with endemic corruption strikes many here as deeply cynical. "Of course we'd rather see him in jail," says Alberto Lim, director of the influential Makati Business Council. "They say there's no big fish caught in this country. He was the big fish we caught...