Arrest and EDSA III After being ousted from the presidency, Estrada returned to his family home in
Greenhills, San Juan. On April 19, 2001, as per his custom, Estrada celebrated his birthday at the
Taytay, Rizal resettlement site he established, and in the same day, he gave a radio interview mentioning that he was ready to give himself over to authorities upon arrest, stating that "I always submit myself to the rule of law." In addition, he discouraged his supporters from becoming violent: "I want to fight off these charges in a peaceful way." On April 25, 2001, the
Sandiganbayan charged him and his son
Jinggoy with plunder and had them arrested at their home. Both of them were initially detained at Camp Crame. Estrada's supporters marched to the
EDSA Shrine to stage a protest demanding Estrada's release and his reinstatement as president, among whom were his wife
Loi Ejercito and political allies such as
Miriam Defensor Santiago,
Juan Ponce Enrile,
Panfilo Lacson, and
Gringo Honasan. In the early morning of May 1, supporters of Estrada marched straight to the gates of
Malacañang Palace, where violence erupted and forcing President Arroyo to declare a
state of rebellion. Many protesters were injured in the ensuing riots and arrested, with four casualties, while many journalists were also injured due in part to the protesters' general hostility to the media. The government called out the military and was able to quell the riots with tear gases and warning shots under a "maximum tolerance" policy. The riots came to be generally known as
EDSA III, though others have argued against the use of the name. On May 1, the same day as EDSA III, both Estrada and his son were transferred via separate helicopters to
Fort Santo Domingo in
Santa Rosa,
Laguna under heavy security, where they shared a two-bedroom detention cell. By May 12, they were brought to the
Veterans Memorial Medical Center in
Quezon City, where he remained for two years before being transferred to a military facility in
Tanay, Rizal on October 16, 2003,[1] but he was later transferred to a nearby vacation home, virtually under house arrest. Under Philippine law at the time, plunder had the maximum penalty of death; the death penalty was eventually repealed by 2006.
Trial On September 12, 2007, the Sandiganbayan gave its decision, finding Estrada not guilty in his perjury case but guilty of plunder "beyond reasonable doubt". He was sentenced to
reclusión perpetua. He was thus the first Philippine president to be convicted of plunder.[1] On September 26, 2007, Estrada appealed by filing a 63-page motion for reconsideration of the
Sandiganbayan judgment penned by
Teresita de Castro (submitting five legal grounds).[2][3] Estrada alleged that the court erred "
when it convicted him by acquitting his alleged co-conspirators."[4] On October 5, 2007, the Sandiganbayan's Special Division ruled to set October 19 as an
oral argument (instead of a defense reply) on Estrada's motion for reconsideration. Estrada asked for the court's permission to attend the hearing, since it ordered the prosecution to file a comment before October 11.[5]
Perjury case The
Sandiganbayan's special division, on June 27, 2008, ordered Estrada to file a comment within 10 days, on the motion of the Ombudsman's special prosecutor to re-open the trial of his
perjury case regarding his 1999
statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN). The court was also to resolve
Banco de Oro's (formerly Equitable PCI Bank) plea that it could not determine "without hazard to itself" whom to turn over to the P1.1 billion Jose Velarde assets due to claims by Wellex Group / William Gatchalian and a
Bureau of Internal Revenue stay order.
Clemency and release from detention On October 22, 2007, Acting Justice Secretary
Agnes Devanadera stated that Estrada was seeking a "full, free, and unconditional pardon" from President Arroyo. Estrada's lawyer Jose Flaminiano wrote Arroyo: "The time has come to end President Estrada's fight for justice and vindication before the courts. Today [Monday], we filed a withdrawal of his Motion for Reconsideration
." Estrada stressed the "delicate condition" of his mother in asking for pardon. On October 25, 2007, President Arroyo granted
executive clemency to Estrada based on the recommendation by the Department of Justice (DoJ). Acting Executive Secretary and Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye quoted the signed Order: "In view hereof in pursuant of the authority conferred upon me by the Constitution, I hereby grant Executive clemency to Joseph Ejercito Estrada, convicted by the Sandiganbayan of plunder and imposed a penalty of reclusión perpetua. He is hereby restored to his civil and political rights
." Bunye noted that Estrada committed in his application not to seek public office, and he would be free from his Tanay resthouse on October 26, at noon. On October 26, 2007, after almost seven years of detention, Estrada was released after the
Sandiganbayan promulgated the resolution.
Activities When Estrada was released from detention, he gave a message to the Filipino people that he could once again help the lives of the people, especially the poor. He also stated that he made errors as a public servant but assured them that, notwithstanding his conviction for it, corruption was not one of them. After the message was released, he had a nationwide tour called "Lakbay Pasasalamat" (Thank you tour) during which he thanked the people for their support and gave them relief goods such as food, medicines and clothing.
2010 presidential election During the 2010 presidential election, Estrada stated in interviews that he would be willing to run for the opposition if they would be unable to unite behind a single candidate. Fr.
Joaquin Bernas and
Christian Monsod, members of the constitutional commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution, stated that the constitution prohibited any elected president from seeking a second term at any point in time. Romulo Macalintal, election counsel of President Arroyo, said that the constitutional ban did not prevent Estrada from attaining the presidency if he were to be elevated from the vice-presidency, for example. Rufus Rodriquez, one of Estrada's lawyers, claimed that Estrada was within his rights to do so because the prohibition banning re-election only applied to the incumbent president. His senatorial lineup included
Francisco Tatad,
Juan Ponce Enrile,
Jinggoy Estrada,
Joey de Venecia, and
Miriam Defensor Santiago. Estrada lost to Senator
Benigno Aquino III in the election.
Other activities In 1972, Estrada starred in
Blood Compact. In October 2010, the magazine
Foreign Policy included Estrada in its list of five former heads of states/governments who did not make "a positive difference in the world", but "faded away into obscurity." Also included in this "Bad Exes" list were Thailand's
Thaksin Shinawatra, Spain's
Jose Maria Aznar, and Germany's
Gerhard Schroder. Estrada announced in November 2010 that he would be selling his home in San Juan for about to pursue his real estate business.
Agence France Presse reported that Estrada "has put up two high-rise residential condominium buildings and plans to build a third soon."
Mayor of Manila (2013–2019) on July 13, 2016 In May 2012, Estrada announced his intention to run for
Mayor of Manila in the
2013 elections to continue his political career. Around noon of May 14, 2013, the day after the conduct of the
2013 Philippine mid-term elections, Estrada and his running-mate and re-electionist Vice Mayor
Francisco "Isko" Moreno Domagoso were proclaimed mayor-elect and vice mayor-elect, respectively, by the City Board of Canvassers for the City of Manila. When Estrada assumed office on June 30, 2013, the city government coffers were practically bankrupt as his administration inherited as much as in debts. During his first term as mayor of Manila, Estrada implemented a city-wide bus ban, truck ban, and revival program especially on
Escolta Street. In 2015, Estrada declared the city debt-free after instituting various fiscal reforms. he changed his mind and ran for reelection in
2016. This time, his running mate was former
4th district councilor and OIC - City Social Welfare Officer Dr.
Honey Lacuna. Estrada won in a tight race over former Mayor Alfredo Lim by around 2,000 votes, while Lacuna was elected vice mayor as well. In October 2017, Mayor Estrada joined
Davao City Mayor
Sara Duterte at the launch of her Tapang at Malasakit () Alliance for the Philippines (TMAP) in
Taguig. On December 3, 2018, Estrada's
Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino partnered with Mayor Duterte's new regional party, the
Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), in preparation for the
2019 elections. By February 2019, Estrada would also host a Manila rally for Mayor Duterte and the HNP to endorse 13 senatorial candidates allied with the Rodrigo Duterte administration, in spite of the administration's endorsement of Estrada's mayoral rival Lim in the 2019 local election. Estrada best described his accomplishments as Mayor of Manila as providing the basic needs of Manileños "from womb to tomb." He boasted of comprehensive public services from free hospital and medical care services to all residents of Manila starting from mothers giving birth, free books, uniforms, and health snacks for public school students, all the way to free burial and cremation. with the fourth reclamation project approved on June 7, 2017. Estrada, however, was widely criticized for a publicity stunt at a clean-up drive in
Manila Bay on July 21, 2017. On September 28, 2018, Estrada settled the city's tax liabilities, left unpaid by former mayors
Lito Atienza and Alfredo Lim, to the
Bureau of Internal Revenue. After serving two consecutive terms as mayor, Estrada intended to run for a third term in
2019, competing against former Manila vice mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso and former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim; Estrada chose former
5th District Representative
Amado Bagatsing as his running mate for vice mayor. Estrada lost to Domagoso, who beat him by more than 100,000 votes in a
landslide victory. Estrada conceded defeat on the evening of May 13 and stepped down on June 30. ==Electoral history==