THAT Joseph Estrada shamelessly begged for mercy and acknowledged the magnanimity of the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo exposes him for the spineless, unprincipled and opportunistic movie actor that he really is.

After shouting to high heavens that Ms Arroyo's presidency was a fraud, he so readily embraced its legitimacy once he was faced with the cold reality of imprisonment. This hardly shows a nationalist fighting for the poor and the oppressed.

Certainly, he is not of the mold of nationalists Jejomar Binay and Rene Saguisag who fought the Marcos regime at great personal sacrifice. Estrada not only betrayed the masses whom he professes to champion and those who stuck with him. He insults them by claiming that he abandoned his convictions for the highest national interest.

Estrada reminds me of another opportunistic "fraud" who washes his hands after every failed coup and abandons those he made a pact with, until he finds another opportunity to pursue his burning personal ambition.--JULIAN ROSEUS, via e-mail