MANILA, Philippines -  Former President Joseph Estrada  said it is his birthday wish to see the Aquino administration succeed in stamping out corruption and making former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pay for inflicting so much misery on Filipinos.

“The poor Filipino people are suffering because of the massive corruption that has transpired in the previous administration. She (Arroyo) has to pay for all of this, for turning almost all the government agencies into corrupt institutions,” Estrada told reporters during his 74th birthday celebration in “Erap City,” a resettlement area in Taytay, Rizal for displaced San Juan residents.

With him were San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez and their son Rep. JV Ejercito.

“I’m happy that I’m still healthy. I can still and I was able to go around and continue my tradition of giving gifts to at least 10,000 poor Filipinos to whom I owe my successful career as an actor and as a public servant,” Estrada said. “My birthday wish is justice for the Filipino people.”

He said he hopes President Aquino would be able to fulfill his promises to the nation, particularly of eradicating corruption.

Arroyo succeeded Estrada after his ouster in a bloodless revolt in 2001. But Estrada called EDSA II a conspiracy among a few influential businessmen, civil society and the military.

Estrada said corruption became entrenched in institutions during the Arroyo administration, particularly in the Philippine National Police, the military, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Justice, the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Agriculture.

Arroyo pardoned Estrada in October 2007, months after his conviction for plunder.

“Her guilt is as clear as the morning,” Estrada said.

Estrada tried to make a political comeback by running for president in May 2010 but lost to President Aquino. He placed second in the race but was five million votes behind Aquino. He said he was vindicated by the result of the elections.

Estrada said Mrs. Arroyo should be made to face all the allegations against her, including alleged cheating in the 2004 presidential election where Estrada’s friend, popular movie actor Fernando Poe, Jr. lost by a million votes.

Estrada said a recorded conversation between Mrs. Arroyo and a poll official widely believed to be then commissioner Virgilio Garcillano was enough proof of manipulation of the 2004 election results.

“In eradicating corruption we must find justice for the crimes against the people that have been done by the past administration, not only for plunder but especially for stealing the people’s votes,” Estrada said.

Estrada said that aside from the impeachment trial of Ombudsman Merceditas Guttierez, the other task at hand for the administration and its supporters is to look for the masterminds of the botched national broadband deal and the fertilizer fund scam.

He said Gutierrez is lucky because she would be given her day in court.

“She is still fortunate because she is being given due process by Congress, unlike my impeachment, which was railroaded by (then Senate President Manny) Villar,” Estrada said.

Estrada said he believes that Gutierrez would be given a fair trial at the Senate.

“Senators have independent minds and cannot be dictated upon,” Estrada said.

Estrada also said Gutierrez cannot be completely blamed for her mediocre showing because the Arroyo administration was able to hide or dispose of evidence against her and some of her officials.

The impeachment complaints against Gutierrez were based on her failure or refusal to act on big cases like the P728-million fertilizer fund scam and the aborted $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal with Chinese firm ZTE.

Estrada recalled that signatories to the NBN deal even had to make up a story that the contract was stolen in China moments after it was signed.

“(Senate President Pro-Tempore) Jinggoy (Estrada) even had to insist that the Chinese executives surrender the contracts. Even the Senate could not acquire the evidence from the Arroyo administration officials,” Estrada said.