Going by the e-mail I have received over the long Christmas/New Year holiday, it would seem that the debate on whether or not former President Cory Aquino was serious with her apologies to former President Joseph ?Erap? Estrada for her role in his ouster is still a very live issue.

The Cory camp has gone out of its way to explain that the ?apology? to Estrada was made facetiously and in the same vein as the earlier remarks of ex-President Estrada during the launching of ex-speaker Joe de Venecia?s book.

Cory?s son, Senator Noynoy Aquino, announced that his mother?s words were not to be taken seriously?that the supposed apology was all in jest. One fellow columnist said Noynoy had forwarded a text message to him allegedly originating from Cory which said that the controversial ?patawarin mo na lang ako? was just one big joke on Estrada.

  In the aftermath of the Cory apology, armchair analysts have been attempting to dissect the psychology behind the move. Some say that because of her illness, the former president must have had a moment of genuine contrition, hoping to shorten the list of people whom she may have hurt.

Others say the ?sorry? should be viewed in the context of the occasion. They say that the previous speeches before hers were all delivered in harlequin fashion, and that Cory herself had started her remarks with a series of comedic remarks. Thus, the ?sorry? could really not be taken seriously.

Still others say that Cory actually has some fondness for Estrada since the latter has always treated her in true gentleman fashion despite their political animosity. Therefore, it is possible that the apology may have been sincere.

Former President Estrada, of course, has stubbornly clung to the view that the apology was sincere. Understandable. If, indeed, the ?sorry? was not sincere, Estrada would have been the victim of the most cruel joke ever played on one who once held the highest elective post in the land.

But at the end of the day, the ?sorry? issue seriously affects not so much Estrada, but Cory herself.

Whether or not the apology is a joke would have much to say about the character of a former president who has become some kind of icon in the country?s political sphere.

And as far as this column is concerned, we would rather that Cory did not say those words at all. Whether or not the statement is a joke, she has the most to lose on this issue.

If she were serious with her apology, she stands to lose the loyalty of the individuals and organizations who stood at Edsa on that fateful week of January 2001. Many of them were there because she was there.

  She would have, in effect, condemned the role of organizations like the COPA in the ouster of Estrada. She would have, in effect, declared that the presence of former Supreme Court Justice Hilario Davide Jr. and the late Jaime Cardinal Sin at Edsa errors. She would have, in effect, concluded that the throngs of businessmen, housewives and young people who cried ?Erap Resign? were nothing more than a flock misled.

If she were serious with her apology, she would have cast doubts on the wisdom of the justices of the Sandiganbayan who eventually handed over a verdict of guilty on charges of plunder and perjury against Estrada.

In other words, she would have condemned an entire nation except the fellow former president to whom she supposedly apologized.

If the whole thing were indeed just a joke, then it was a cruel one. That should break Erap?s heart. And the rest of the nation would wonder what on earth could have triggered such a jest and whether or not Cory had intended to cause a grievous hurt.

At the end of the day, it would be better if former President Aquino put the issue to rest by telling us one and for all whether or not the apology was a serious one. If yes, why? And if it was just a joke, on whom was it being played?

It would be a pity if the public?s memory of her would be dominated by an unanswered question.

Meanwhile, the rest of us would have to live with either the product of her sheer levity or her change of heart.

There are major concerns that are facing the nation. The effects of the economic slowdown in the First World are expected to be felt in more pronounced ways in 2009. We will have to cope with these adverse effects and look for ways to mitigate them regardless of whether or not a former president was merely joking.

The millions who stood at Edsa with Mrs. Aquino in January 2001 may have to be content with what armchair analysts can offer.

Jokes and changes of heart are the privilege of a few. The rest of us mortals will have to simply have to move on.