Erap, Gordon end rift with a handshake

A handshake.

This was how former President Joseph Estrada and Senator Richard Gordon seemed to end their long-time rift in a forum for presidential aspirants in Makati City Tuesday.

Estrada and Gordon shook hands after agreeing that corrupt officials should be jailed, including President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo if she is found guilty of a crime, but the efforts against corruption should not be centered on her.

“If President Arroyo has a case, I will definitely support a prosecution of President Arroyo but I will not point to a particular person. For that matter, I think it is important that all of us make sure that we are all responsible for making people like President Arroyo pay for their crimes, if she indeed is guilty of crimes, as we are all saying she is," Gordon said, which Estrada agreed to.

The rift between Estrada and Gordon dates back to the former's presidency when the very first administrative order he signed was to kick out the latter as chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Only this August, during GMA 7's Tatakbo Ka Ba event, the two political personalities were noticeably avoiding each other. [See: Feuding senators cordial during GMA Network fun run.]

But in a phone interview with GMANews.TV, Gordon denied that he has any axe to grind against the former president.

“Wala akong sama ng loob (I don’t hold any grudge). We have shaken hands in the past. I have already forgotten that (incident)," the senator said.

Estrada's camp is yet to issue a reply.

Asked about Estrada’s plan to run again for president, Gordon said that is the former leader’s own lookout as there are people who can always question the legality of the move.

The senator said as a lawyer he believed the former president is no longer eligible to run.

“People can vote for him but they should realize that (like detained senator Antonio IV) Trillanes, it is possible that Estrada wouldn’t be able to sit," Gordon said. - Amita O. Legaspi, GMANews.TV