P2 BILLION WAR CHEST FOR EDSA 3 DEFECTIONS: Jailed former President Joseph
Estrada has allegedly set aside a P2-billion "war chest" for the
recruitment of police and military men to back his loyalists staging a
drawn-out rally at the EDSA Shrine.
Police sources claim groups identified with the Estrada camp are trying to
set up a 500-man "mercenary" force, consisting mainly of members of the
Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabansa (RAM).
The war chest will supposedly allow the Estrada camp to "buy" the support
of officers and enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces and the Philippine
National Police, the sources said.
The sources said the group will supposedly make it appear that the military
has been divided by the pro-Estrada rally at the EDSA Shrine.
The sources claimed at least five military generals allegedly pledged
support to Estrada during his birthday party on April 19 at his home on
No.1 Polk st. in North Greenhills, San Juan.
The sources identified the generals as Armed Forces vice chief of staff
Jose Calimlim, Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Benjamin Defensor, AFP Southern
Command chief Lt. Gen. Gregorio Camiling, former Navy chief Rear Admiral
Guillermo Wong and Brig. Gen. Jake Malajacan. Phil. Star, 04/28/2001
ERAP ALLIES LEAVE EDSA SHRINE; CROWD SLOWLY DISPERSES: Political allies of
jailed former president Joseph Estrada have started to leave the Edsa shrine
leading to a slow dispersal of rallyists in today's mass action in support of
the fallen leader.
Media estimates pegged the crowd at around 300,000.
Edsa North and southbound lanes, meanwhile, remained closed to traffic as
of 3:30 AM.
A program continues onstage, however, with film stars and local election
candidates Rudy Fernandez and Phillip Salvador, known allies of the ousted
president, speaking before the crowd. Inquirer, 04/29/2001
PRO ESTRADA CROWD REACHES 300,000 RADIO REPORTS SAY: Around 300,000 people
are attending today's rallies in support of jailed former president Joseph
Estrada at the Edsa shrine, according to estimates from radio reports.
According to the reports, today's crowd got a lift from the participation
of a large number of El Shaddai members. El Shaddai, a Catholic charismatic
group, is led by Bro. Mike Velarde, a known Estrada ally. Inquirer,
04/29/2001
ERAP MOVED TO HOSPITAL: Jailed former President Joseph Estrada and his son,
San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada, were transferred yesterday morning to the
Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City ostensibly for a medical
checkup.
The Estradas were flown in police helicopters from a detention center at
Camp Crame at about 10:30 a.m. to the government hospital for an executive
checkup that normally takes about three days.
Emerging from the helicopter, the disgraced former president was accompanied
by his wife Luisa Ejercito and ranking police officials. Estrada smiled and
waved at local and foreign journalists as he walked to a waiting ambulance
but ignored their questions.
Doctors at the hospital said they have already begun a series of tests on
the Estradas. Father and son would have to stay in the hospital for 48 to
72 hours before being moved to Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Examining doctor Salvador Flores said initial tests on the fallen leader
found nothing wrong.
Before Estrada and his son are moved to the more comfortable facility at
Fort Sto. Domingo, police must first secure the permission of the
Sandiganbayan which has jurisdiction over the two who are accused of
plunder, officials said.
When the medical tests are completed by Monday, government and defense
lawyers would have submitted their written arguments on his detention. The
Sandiganbayan is expected to rule shortly after.
Estrada's lawyers are opposing his transfer to Fort Sto. Domingo and asked
the court to place Estrada under house arrest at his luxurious home at
North Greenhills in San Juan.
Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said the Estradas would undergo
checkups before being transferred to a special detention facility at Fort
Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, the training center for the Philippine
National Police's Special Action Force.
In a nationally televised speech yesterday, President Arroyo said her
government will ensure the ousted president's security, health and comfort
and promised he will get a fair trial in the Sandiganbayan, where he is
charged with the capital offense of plunder. The offense is non-bailable.
Estrada loyalists rallied for a fourth day yesterday, demanding that the
former president be freed and restored to the presidency. Estrada is
charged with the capital offense of plunder, or several acts of corruption
involving more than P75 million.
Police claimed the continuing rally at the EDSA Shrine, only 500 meters
from Camp Crame, presents a clear and present danger that Estrada loyalists
would spring the ousted president from detention.
Police are afraid that the apparently inflammatory rhetoric at the pro-Estrada
rally would incite the crowd of mostly poorly educated folk to assault the
police and their headquarters.
At the forefront of "building" the Estrada crowd at the Roman Catholic
shrine is the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) which has openly supported the
pro-Estrada rally via its television station Net 25 and its radio station
dzEC.
The INC hierarchy, however, said it has not directed its members to support
the rally but INC locals in Luzon are reportedly gathering their members
and sending them to the Catholic shrine. Phil. Star, 04/29/2001
GMA: AFP, PNP SOLIDLY BEHIND ME: President Arroyo said yesterday the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP)
are "squarely behind" her administration and are prepared "to meet any
challenge to the Constitution."
In her first public statement since supporters of jailed former President
Joseph Estrada gathered at the Our Lady of EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City
to demand his release and return to power, a stern-looking Mrs. Arroyo said
on television she had been monitoring demonstrations since the former
president was arrested Wednesday. He is to be tried on charges of plunder.
Mrs. Arroyo warned the people against taking advantage of the situation and
urged them "not to let yourselves be used by those who have ambitions to
further their selfish political agenda."
For their part, Cabinet members said yesterday "right-thinking" generals
and men of the AFP and PNP are firmly behind the President. At a press
conference, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes denied the leadership of the
military was divided and that loyalty checks have been made on generals.
Mrs. Arroyo said she has urged maximum tolerance in dealing with the
pro-Estrada demonstrations. At the same time, she said it was her duty to
ensure the law was enforced equally without favor.
And amid the rampant coup rumors, top AFP and PNP officials, who have put
their forces on high alert, again pledged their support for Mrs. Arroyo.
AFP chief Gen. Diomedio Villanueva said he had spoken to all top officers
and there was no basis for reports of defections, Army commander Lt. Gen.
Jaime de los Santos said his field commanders "gave me assurances that we are
united under our government and President Arroyo."
Reyes brushed aside Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago's earlier claims that at
least 17 police and military generals have reportedly expressed support for
Estrada.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina said it was unlikely the
EDSA protests would convince AFP and PNP generals to defect. National
Security Adviser Roilo Golez said the absence of a just cause would not turn
the protests into another people power revolution. Phil.Star, 04/29/2001
CBCP CALLS TO SANDIGAN JUSTICES: BE DECISIVE: The social arm of the Catholic
Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday urged the
Sandiganbayan justices hearing the plunder cases of jailed former president
Joseph Estrada to remain decisive and come out with a verdict in favor of
the Filipino people.
"The fight does not end with Estrada's arrest. There is still a long and
torturous path that we need to take towards the realization of justice,"
the CBCP's National Secretariat for Social Action and Peace (NASSA) said in
a statement.
NASSA stressed it would no longer be difficult for the Sandiganbayan
justices to decide the case against Estrada because of the amount of
evidence against him.
At the same time, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) chairman and Bayan Muna vice
chairman Crispin Beltran invited President Arroyo to speak at the Labor Day
rally and assure the people that the government would not enter into any
compromise with the Estrada camp.
Beltran said Arroyo should also assure that she will be more active,
forceful and determined in pushing for the completion of the goals of EDSA
II, mainly to prosecute Estrada.
"There should be no compromises with Estrada. He should remain
incarcerated. It does not matter whether in Camp Crame or Fort Sto.
Domingo, as long as he will not be permitted to escape prison or get out
the country," he said.
Beltran also said Mrs. Arroyo should also make a commitment to concretely
address the demands of the poor and working people.
Nonetheless, Beltran urged the President to reach out to Estrada loyalists
who are staging a continuing rally which they call "people power III."
Beltran said the President should assure them that she would work to raise
them from poverty by providing jobs, opportunities for better employment,
and adequate and affordable social services. Phil. Star, 04/29/2001
500 FULLY-ARMED TROOPS AT CAMP AGUINALDO
INQ7.net, April 29, 2001
About 500 full armed troops, 4 tanks, and 2 attack helicopters are now
present at Camp Aquinaldo said a television news report which said that
tension at the camp was “high.”
High-ranking officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines have been in a
closed door meeting for two hours now to discuss the situation at Edsa where
tens of thousands of Estrada supporters have been demonstrating since
Wednesday when the former president was arrested.
PEOPLE FLOCKING TO MENDIOLA TO DEFEND PEOPLE POWER 2
INQ7.net, April 29, 2001
CAUSE-ORIENTED groups have called upon citizens to join a prayer vigil at
Mendiola near Malacañang Palace. People are continuing to mass at the foot of
Mendiola bridge in response to the call of cause-oriented, militant and
church groups, according to radio reports. Around 3, 000 people are already
in Mendiola, according to radio reports.
Fr. Robert Reyes of Gomburza said in an earlier radio interview that it is
time for even a small group to take action. He said that they would conduct
a prayer vigil in Mendiola.
Dan Songco of Kompil II in a separate interview asked the people to once
again show their "commitment to democracy and justice." He said that the
Mendiola vigil would be a defense of People Power 2.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and other militant groups had already marched
earlier to Mendiola. Pro-Estrada demonstrators continue to mass along Edsa
stretching from the Edsa Shrine to the vicinity of Camp Crame and Camp
Aguinaldo.
Truckloads of Estrada supporters continue to augment the mammoth pro-Estrada
crowd, according to radio reports. Songco, however, said that the vigil
would not be a numbers game. The cause-oriented groups are not out to match
the Estrada supporters and compete with them head on, he said.
ANTI-COUP TASK FORCE FORMED
Inquirer News Service, April 30, 2001
A 2,000-STRONG military force backed by helicopter gunships, Scorpion tanks
and armored combat vehicles stands ready to counter any attempt by supporters
of ousted President Joseph Estrada to mount a coup.
And to show that it means business, the task force has parked two MG-520
attack helicopters armed to the teeth with rockets on the parade ground at
Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Not even at the height of the People Power II uprising that toppled Estrada
in January did the Armed Forces of the Philippines deploy the MG-520s, the
most lethal helicopter in its arsenal.
Also parked nearby are two armored personnel carriers while troops in
camouflage uniforms are prepared for action at the camp’s grandstand.
Called Task Force Libra, the force is led by Maj. Gen. Dionisio Santiago
chief of the AFP’s Special Operations Command, mother unit of the military’s
Special Forces and Scout Rangers.
Santiago, who is based at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, set up his command
post at Aguinaldo three days ago upon the creation of Task Force Libra.
The unit is composed of troops and hardware from the Army’s Special
Operations Command, Light Armor Brigade, Air Force, Navy and Marines. AFP
spokesperson Edilberto Adan declined for security reasons to reveal the
number of tanks, armored vehicles, choppers and other hardware attached to
the task force.
Without using the word coup, Adan said "the troops are on standby to defend
the capital (Metro Manila)."
“Its primary duty is to support the Philippine National Police against civil
disturbance and to protect life and property,” he said. He said other members
of the task force were deployed at Fort Bonifacio and Villamor Air Base.
To underscore the need for alertness, at least three battalions of anti-riot
policemen were deployed outside Camp Crame, which is across Edsa from
Aguinaldo, shortly before dawn yesterday.
'Astonished'
Military intelligence reports earlier said supporters of Estrada would launch
an “attack” to rescue him. The policemen, mostly from the Crowd Dispersal
Management Group and the Special Action Force--some armed with fiberglass
shields and truncheons and others, with Armalite rifles--trooped by twos from
Gate 2 of Crame to Edsa.
They marched out of the camp at about 2:30 a.m. amid heckling and chanting of
"Ibalik si Lacson . . . ibalik si Lacson!" and "walang dispersal . . . walang
dispersal!" by astonished Estrada supporters who were in vehicles parked by
the camp’s Edsa gate.
Panfilo Lacson, a former PNP chief, is running for senator under the Puwersa
ng Masa coalition allied with Estrada. The vehicles were mostly passenger
buses and jeepneys plastered with posters of candidates identified with
Estrada that came from towns and provinces near Metro Manila.
Some of the vehicles were removed by their drivers after police officers
asked them for security reasons. Amid reports that the Estrada camp was
courting the military, business and civic groups identified with Edsa II have
started contributing food to the soldiers who are on alert to counter any
coup attempts against the administration.
Adan said these groups were "friends of the government who are supporting the
military which is on red alert." "They are giving us food for the soldiers,"
Adan told a news briefing.
Among these groups are businessmen from Makati and members of Couples for
Christ who played a key role at Edsa II.
PHILIPPINES SITTING ON EDGE OF CIVIL WAR
Inquirer News Service, April 30, 2001
WE are a nation sitting on the edge of civil war. The demonstrations sparked
by The pro-Estrada forces have sustained their demonstrations for five days
already, and there’s no sign of an early resolution. The resolution of Edsa
II came within five days of the triggering event--the vote in the impeachment
court to block the opening of the second envelope containing alleged evidence
of money laundering by Estrada.
The turning point at Edsa II came when the armed forces, the national police
and most of the Cabinet members withdrew support from Estrada. It facilitated
the bloodless transfer of power.
This time, we are nearer civil war than we were in the 1986 "People Power"
revolution or in Edsa II. Although the number of people at Edsa dwindled from
a peak of more than 270,000 in the evening of April 26 to about 100,000 on
Saturday evening, Estrada supporters are being transported from as far away
as Mindanao and Palawan to reinforce the hard core of protesters at the Edsa
Shrine.
The present crowd is rowdy, undisciplined and ready to be incited to violence
by inflammatory statements coming from opposition politicians who are fanning
the unrest. Crisis does not permit long stalemates. The present standoff is
a flash point for violent scenarios.
First, opposition politicians and people who believe they can gain by
toppling the Macapagal administration are cynically manipulating the poor by
tapping their social grievances and turning them against the "rich" and the
government.
Second, the Edsa II forces are mobilizing for mass demonstrations on Labor
Day (May 1), sending to the streets hundreds of thousands of people in a
show of numbers. Security forces must see to it that they don’t cross paths.
This time, we are heading for a clash between Edsa II and the so-called Edsa
III forces. If they come face to face, only one piece of rock thrown from
either side could spark rioting.
Third, it takes very little inciting and provocation for the present Edsa
crowd, which has been recruited from the urban underclasses (lumpen
proletariat), to unleash mob rule or a rampage.
Fourth, although the government has the loyalty of most of the military and
the police, the pro-Estrada officers are using the continuing demonstrations
at Edsa to seek support for either the withdrawal of support of the chain of
command from the Macapagal administration or the defection of soldiers to
the pro-Estrada demonstrators, hoping that the presence of the soldiers
would encourage larger demonstrations.
'Very volatile'
From armed forces intelligence assessments, the situation today is touch-and
-go and very volatile. The government has made a headcount of its support
among the service commanders and heads of key military units, and the result
is that the government, at the moment, has maintained the loyalty of most of
the armed forces. But if the demonstrations swell, dissident officers could
use these to start defections.
Organizers of the Edsa rally had planned a march to Malacañang on Saturday
evening, if they had by that time a "critical mass" to start a siege of the
Palace and force the resignation of President Macapagal-Arroyo. The
adventurist plan was driven by overconfidence and overestimation by the
leaders of the unrest of their strength and capacity to mobilize the people.
The reasons the march did not go ahead were:
o Mike Velarde wavered in committing his mass following to join the pro-
Estrada forces at Edsa.
o Crowd anger was defused by the move to transfer Estrada to the Veterans
Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, where he had more comfortable
quarters for medical examination.
o The government recovered from its initial shock (it did not expect the
kind of mass backlash from the arrest of Estrada), gained time to
consolidate its support from the military and police, and signaled its
readiness to get tough if the pro-Estrada forces go into reckless actions
like storming the Palace.
'Velarde'
Bro. Mike Velarde of El Shaddai was playing a double and evasive game. He
tried to blackmail the administration to quash his plunder case as a
condition for not giving the signal for El Shaddai’s mass following to join
the protests. Velarde was using his numbers as a bargaining leverage for his
own survival.
Members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), together with some followers of El
Shaddai, have formed the bulk of the Edsa crowd. The assembly is composed
mostly of die-hard Estrada loyalists, the poor recruited from urban blight
and the provinces, and poor people with genuine social grievances. It would
be a mistake to reduce the crowd to a mob for hire.
The events to watch whether the standoff is being broken in favor of the
government are the size of the crowd on Edsa and the ability of the
government to hold its support from the armed forces.
The Edsa demonstration is caught in contradictions about its goals and
issues. These contradictions show that the pro-Estrada movement is chaotic
and has no centralized leadership, although a number of Estrada
administration officials are coordinating logistics--the feeding of the
people and paying recruits from the slum areas and the provinces.
The demands at Edsa range from the extreme of seeking the resignation of Ms
Macapagal and the restoration of Estrada and calls for the formation of a
civil-military junta to hold snap elections in which Estrada would not run
and former National Police Chief Panfilo Lacson would stand for President to
the more short-term concession of putting Estrada under house arrest.
The last condition appeared to have been met with the transfer of Estrada to
a hospital and to the preparation of comfortable quarters at the PNP center
in Sta. Rosa, Laguna--which is equivalent to house arrest.
The INC has demanded house arrest, but it is not certain that it would stop
giving support to the Edsa protests. It has a deep long-running conflict
with the majority Roman Catholic Church, and its muscular political activism
at Edsa I and Edsa II. Moreover, the INC has been left out in the cold by the
changeover to Macapagal. It has no one in a position of power and influence
in the Macapagal administration.
Thus, both Velarde and the INC--both losers in the changeover--are
blackmailing the Macapagal administration to win concessions, and the
protests sparked by the arrest of Estrada have given them the opportunity to
play their cards, holding Macapagal hostage.
Velarde did not want Estrada transferred to Sta. Rosa. The reason is that it is
hard to maintain mass demonstrations there, where such show of numbers has
very little political impact. Velarde is using his following as a weapon to
extricate himself from serious trouble posed by the plunder case filed
against him. For Velarde, it is a fight for survival.
The military has warned Velarde that he is creating opportunities for a
military takeover if the demonstrations, swelled by El Shaddai followers get
out of hand and turn violent, forcing the military to step in to restore
order. In a military takeover, neither Velarde nor opposition senatorial
politicians demanding the restoration of Estrada, could gain.
The military would, the next time around, take power itself if the Macapagal
administration proves unable to govern with authority. It would not give it
back to Estrada or hand it to Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Juan Ponce
Enrile and Gregorio Honasan or Panfilo Lacson.
The most likely thing to happen if the rallies become turbulent and pro-
Estrada forces march to the Palace is that the military will rally behind the
government and Macapagal makes a crackdown on mutinous members of the
military supporting secessionists and arrest them.
If rioting erupts and becomes unmanageable, the President can ask for
emergency powers to restore order. The military, institutionally, is a
professional organization that shifts allegiance only after profound and
powerful causes for defection present themselves, as in the defections from
strongman Ferdinand Marcos and Estrada. So, it is unrealistic for the
firebrands in the opposition that they could get the military to defect and
restore a corrupt regime, which they and the rest of the state institutions
rejected on Jan. 20.
The demand for the Estrada restoration is a dead end. The politician
agitators come from the elite and the rich. They use the class conflict line
to rabble-rouse the poor against the government. The poor are being incited
also to support demands to give privileges and comfort to Estrada--or house
arrest.
Estrada is betraying his real self. He is from the elite and his ways are of
the elite. He wants comfort and a sumptuous life in detention not available
to the poor. He wants privilege, which the rest of us cannot enjoy. This
shows how the poor are being cynically exploited by their elite spokesperson
to accept the notion that some are above the law.
The poor have always been losers in Philippine society. They have legitimate
grievances. But they were also losers in the Estrada pseudo pro-poor
government. If Estrada were restored, there is no reason to expect they will
be winners. Now they are being used as shock absorbers and cannon fodder for
causes that will not benefit them.
ENRILE CALLS RALLYISTS TO STORM TV NETWORKS
INQ7.net, April 29, 2001
SENATOR Juan Ponce Enrile called on supporters of former president Joseph
Estrada to surround the studios of broadcast networks ABS-CBN and GMA-7 in
protest of what he claims as biased reporting on the continuing Edsa rallies.
Speaking at this morning’s pro-Estrada rally at the Edsa Shrine, Enrile
urged the Estrada supporters to storm the said television stations and hold
continuous protest actions to deplore the networks’ "unbalanced" and
"untruthful" reporting of the events transpiring at Edsa.
Reporters from both stations covering the pro-Estrada Edsa rallies have
complained of harassment from Estrada supporters.
LEFTIST GROUPS URGE GMA TO STAY FIRM
Inquirer News Service, April 28, 2001
Satur Ocampo, president of Bayan Muna, said President Macapagal-Arroyo should
stay firm and resist any moves by the ousted leader to return to Malacañang
via a people power-type revolt.
Ocampo said the so-called Edsa III being waged by Estrada supporters was
bereft of moral, political and legal grounds.
The fisherfolk group Pamalakaya admonished Estrada loyalists to abandon their
support of the disgraced president, saying they don’t deserve a "tyrant and
plunderer like Estrada."
"How can Estrada speak for the poor? He lived like a king and an untouchable
aristocrat and made a big fortune from an array of criminal enterprises
during his 31 months in office," said Gerry Albert Corpuz, Pamalakaya
spokesperson. Pamalakaya said the people gathered at Edsa should divert
their energies into looking for jobs, food, basic services, decent housing
and fighting for their rights.
Beltran accused Estrada and his cronies of funding the protests at Edsa.
"They are using ill-gotten wealth, money stolen from the Filipino people to
pay those desperate and misled Estrada supporters and use them as shields
against his prosecution and conviction,” Beltran said.
"The likes of Eduardo Cojuangco, Juan Ponce Enrile, Dong Puno and other
multi-millionaire cronies of Estrada are gambling their massive wealth in
this despicable, grotesque parody of people power all in an effort to get
Estrada out of jail," he said
ERAP PALS FOMENTING CLASS WAR, ACTIVIST GROUP SAY
Inquirer News Service, April 28, 2001,
CRONIES of jailed ex-President Joseph Estrada are fomenting a class war and
inter-religious conflict to protect their "economic fortunes" since they have
"nothing to gain and everything to lose" now that their patron is behind
bars.
Activist groups said this was the main reason pro-Estrada demonstrators have
massed at the Edsa Shrine since Wednesday following the former president’s
arrest.
Another reason the pro-Estrada crowd remains at Edsa, the Kongreso ng
Mamamayang Pilipino II (Kompil II), said is that opposition Puwersa ng Masa
candidates are turning the protest into a "miting de avance" (political
meeting) to boost their chances in the May 14 elections.
'Legitimate act'
But, Kompil II conceded, like People Powers I and II pro-Estrada groups are
also at Edsa in a "legitimate act of redress of grievance." "We will not play
the numbers game with them, however, or fight them tooth for tooth," said
Dan Songco of Kompil II.
Instead, Songco said, "we will stage a series of rallies up to May 1 to push
for the legitimate concerns of the predominantly poor crowd at Edsa. Other
militant groups warned the Macapagal administration against striking a deal
with the detained Estrada in the face of the massive protest by his
supporters at Edsa."
"There is absolutely no way we will allow Estrada to be sprung free and
excused from the punishment he so richly deserves,” said Crispin Beltran
chair of the Kilusang Mayo Uno.
"He must remain incarcerated, his arraignment and trial must proceed
immediately and he should soon begin serving his new career as the first
Philippine president to be convicted" Beltran said.
'No moral grounds'
Satur Ocampo, president of Bayan Muna, said President Macapagal-Arroyo should
stay firm and resist any moves by the ousted leader to return to Malacañang
via a people power-type revolt. Ocampo said the so-called Edsa III being
waged by Estrada supporters was bereft of moral, political and legal grounds.
The fisherfolk group Pamalakaya admonished Estrada loyalists to abandon their
support of the disgraced president, saying they don’t deserve a "tyrant and
plunderer like Estrada."
"How can Estrada speak for the poor? He lived like a king and an untouchable
aristocrat and made a big fortune from an array of criminal enterprises
during his 31 months in office,” said Gerry Albert Corpuz, Pamalakaya
spokesperson.
Pamalakaya said the people gathered at Edsa should divert their energies
into looking for jobs, food, basic services, decent housing and fighting for
their rights.
Beltran accused Estrada and his cronies of funding the protests at Edsa.
"They are using ill-gotten wealth, money stolen from the Filipino people to
pay those desperate and misled Estrada supporters and use them as shields
against his prosecution and conviction,” Beltran said.
"The likes of Eduardo Cojuangco, Juan Ponce Enrile, Dong Puno and other
multi-millionaire cronies of Estrada are gambling their massive wealth in
this despicable, grotesque parody of people power all in an effort to get
Estrada out of jail" he said.
'Moral response'
For its part, the moderate Kompil II said it would concentrate on "cautious,
gentle and moral actions" in response to the Edsa rally, including candle-
lighting ceremonies and prayers for the "enlightenment" of the pro-Estrada
crowd.
For a start, militant youth groups yesterday held a noise barrage dubbed
"Erap Litisin, Edsa Linisin" in key areas of Metro Manila to condemn the
"desecration" of the shrine by Estrada supporters. Kompil II and groups like
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Akbayan, Gomburza, Council on Philippine Affairs
and other key Edsa II players met yesterday at the University of the
Philippines Chapel to determine their course of action following the massive
turnout of Estrada supporters at Edsa.
During the meeting, the groups recognized that many protesters went to Edsa
to voice out the problems of the urban poor.
Instead of staging a parallel protest action, the groups said they would
hold rallies up to May 1 to urge the government to look into the plight of
the poor and implement effective anti-poverty policies.
'Ignored'
Stage director Behn Cervantes of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines
pointed out at the meeting that not all those present at Edsa were paid to
join the protest.
"The crowd also included the poor who have long been ignored," he said.
The activist groups agreed, however, that the poor had unwittingly allowed
themselves to be used by Estrada and the opposition candidates for their own
political ends.
Apolonia Tolentino of the party-list group AKO said the poor were the victims
of pro-Estrada politicians who are trying to paint the situation as a battle
between Estrada and President Macapagal, the rich against the poor.
"It is time we brought sanity to our country by educating Erap’s supporters
about law enforcement" Kompil II said. Fr. Joe Dizon, spokesperson of the
Estrada Resign Movement, said, "People power is not a crusade intended to
bring a criminal back to Malacañang."
While the militant group Sanlakas refrained from criticizing the pro-Estrada
groups at Edsa, it urged the poor to finally realize that Estrada is a
"false messiah" and that he and his allies were only using the masses for
their own selfish interests.
"We may share the same sentiment that the two Edsa revolts failed to fulfill
the aspirations of the masses, but to launch Edsa III just to bring Estrada
back to power would be a bigger tragedy compared to Macapagal," said Wilson
Fortaleza, Sanlakas national president.
"If we are to launch People Power III, it should be for the interests of the
masses and not for Estrada," he added. Some 100,000 Sanlakas and Partido ng
Manggagawa members are going to gather at the People Power Monument on
May 1, Labor Day. While the monument is near the shrine, Fortaleza said they
are not going to clash with the Estrada.
JUSTICE WARNS PLUNDER CASE COULD WEAKEN
Inquirer News Service, April 28, 2001
DAVAO CITY--A Sandiganbayan justice warned that the government could lose the
plunder case against Joseph Estrada if any of the divisions of the anti-graft
court would not allow the Ombudsman to withdraw the other cases filed against
the ousted President.
Justice Rodolfo Palattao, a member of the Sandiganbayan’s fourth division on
Tuesday night explained that the sets of information used by the Ombudsman
in the plunder case are the same sets of information used in the three other
cases that are now distributed in the various divisions of the anti-graft
court.
He said if any of the four cases loses, chances are it would have a "domino
effect" and weaken the plunder case. Palattao added that it would be awkward
for the third division, which handles the plunder case, to ignore the
decision of other divisions of the Sandiganbayan.
"For filing several cases, that’s not the right move. The right move now
apparently, will be to maintain only one case" he said.
But he added that maintaining one case would be a problem because not all of
the justices in the Sandiganbayan’s four divisions would likely grant the
Ombudsman’s motion to withdraw the cases. Palattao said he was inclined to
approve the Ombudsman’s petition to withdraw the P130 billion case which was
raffled to their division.
But he said there was no assurance that his colleagues in the fourth division
will agree to his opinion on the matter. He said they have 90 days to resolve
the Sandiganbayan’s motion to withdraw. Palattao said even if all the four
divisions of the Sandiganbayan granted the Ombudsman petition withdrawing the
cases, it will be contested by Estrada’s lawyers in the Supreme Court further
delaying the case.
He added that repeating the information already stipulated in the plunder
case could constitute "double jeopardy."
FORMER SSS, GSIS HEADS SAY ERAP MEN'S RAP 'CHEAP SHOT'
Inquirer News Service, April 28, 2001
THE FORMER president of the Government Service Insurance System yesterday
denounced as "a cheap shot" attempts by the lawyers of deposed President
Joseph Estrada to blame the previous managers of the GSIS and the Social
Security System for the financial mess besetting the two pension institutions.
Cesar N. Sarino, former local government secretary and GSIS president, said
public attention on the plunder of GSIS funds is now being diverted by
turning the table and blaming those who previously managed these GFIs.
Estrada’s lawyers, Jesus Crispin Remulla and Raymond Fortun, had accused the
former heads of the GSIS and the SSS of financial anomalies under the
administration of former President Fidel Ramos. Sarino and Renato Valencia
former administrator and chief executive officer of the SSS, denied the
allegations in separate press statements.
Valencia said Estrada and his lawyers "should do well to check carefully the
facts on the ground before making wild and ludicrous claims . . . unless the
objective is only to becloud the current issues and take some heat off Mr.
Estrada" in the plunder cases and other serious charges he is facing.
Sarino said that under his watch, the GSIS experienced a financial and
organizational renaissance, a watershed, which the GSIS could now use as
institutional standard in evaluating future performance, particularly in
terms of responding to the needs of its 1.5 million members.
During the period 1992-1997, specifically, the GSIS not only expanded but
also increased member’s benefits annually, dramatically capped by the passage
of the GSIS Act of 1996 which increased members’ retirement benefits from a
minimum of P2,500 to initially P9,000 a month.
The expansion and increase in benefits were done while chalking up milestone
achievements in its finances during the period 1992-1997, he said.
Sarino said that under him, gross revenues increased from P14.3 billion to
P31.1 billion, net profit from P7 billion to P18.5 billion, assets jumped
from P50.8 billion to P120 billion, and actuarial reserves from P43.8 billion
to P105.9 billion.
On the loan made to Mr. Jose Marcel Panlilio, "the ERAP word-spinners did a
sloppy research," Sarino said. He said that the uncollected Panlilio account
was a behest loan made during the time of former President Ferdinand Marcos.
On the GSIS investments in Belle Resources in 1993, Sarino confirmed that the
GSIS invested some funds with Belle Resources.
"But we bought the shares at an average price of P3.84 per share and unloaded
these shortly thereafter at an average price of P4.54 per share, resulting
in actual net gains of P145.8 million," he said. "What a difference this
makes between the trading gains made in 1993 and the losses incurred in the
transaction made last year."
Valencia, on the other hand, said that during his term, the SSS had no
dealings, either in loans or investments, with Panlilio, RJ Jacinto or former
Armed Forces chief Gen. Lisandro Abadia.
He said it was during Carlos Arellano’s term during the Estrada administration
that the SSS invested in Urban Bank and Belle Resources. He added that no
behest loans or investments were made by the SSS during his eight-year term
as SSS administrator.
On the SSS loan to the Centennial Expo project, Valencia said he had already
fully and publicly explained the transaction. He said the Saguisag commission
which investigated the Centennial Expo found no irregularity and filed no
charges against the SSS or any of its officials.
SANDIGAN ALLOWS GOV'T. TO WITHDRAW SSS GRAFT CASE
April 28, 2001, Inquirer News Service
On another case, government lawyers scored a victory of sorts when the
Sandiganbayan’s 2nd division allowed the withdrawal of a graft case against
Estrada.
The case was based on allegations that Estrada profited when the Social
Security System and the Government Service Insurance System bought a total of
681.733 million shares of Belle Corp. at P3.10 and P3.20 per share.
The court said in its decision to allow the withdrawal of the case that the
defense did not object to the prosecution’s move to have the case withdrawn.
The court also said that its decision was based on "practical reasons." It
said that if the case were allowed to prosper and the prosecution refused to
present its witnesses, the case would be dismissed.
SANDIGAN ALLOWS TRANSFER OF ESTRADA TO FORT STO. DOMINGO
INQ7.net, April 27, 2001
THE SANDIGANBAYAN has given the Philippine National Police full discretion to
decide on the impending transfer of jailed former president Joseph Estrada
to the PNP Special Action Forces training facility at Fort Sto. Domingo in
Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Estrada, according to a report aired over GMA Network radio station dzBB
might be airlifted to the facility over the weekend should peace and order
conditions worsen amid mass actions of the fallen leader’s supporters at the
EDSA Shrine. The protests could pose security risks, PNP chief Director-
General Leandro Mendoza said, since they are being held near the PNP
Detention Center, where Estrada is currently being held.
The PNP petitioned the transfer to assure "safety and security" for Estrada
and to provide a facility befitting a former head of state.
COURT HEARS ESTRADA PETITION TO QUASH PLUNDER CHARGES
INQ7.net, April 27, 2001
"UNCONSTITUTIONAL."
This is the claim of the defense counsel for former President Joseph Estrada
whose petition to quash the plunder charges against him will be heard by the
Sandiganbayan this afternoon.
Economic plunder is a capital offense punishable by death.
Lawyer Jose Flaminiano, in an interview with a television news program said
the motion was filed before the 3rd division of the special criminal court
and could warrant the dismissal of the plunder case. The motion is one of a
series of petitions filed by Estrada’s lawyers to get the fallen leader out
of jail.
Justice Anacleto Badoy of the Sandiganbayan third division set the hearing on
the motion to quash at 3PM today.
Estrada was arrested Wednesday after the Sandiganbayan found probable cause
to prosecute the former president for economic plunder after evaluating the
evidence presented by the Ombudsman. Estrada, son Jinggoy, and fellow
defendant and lawyer Edward Serapio, are currently detained at the
Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force compound in Camp Crame.
Should the Sandiganbayan deny the motion, an arraignment is set soon for
Estrada to enter his plea of guilty or not guilty. A bail hearing is then
scheduled afterwards to determine whether Estrada should be granted bail
depending on the weight of evidence in the plunder case.
FULL TEXT OF MACAPAGAL'S STATEMENT ON ESTRADA ARREST JAILING
Inquirer News Service, April 27, 2001
MALACANANG released last night a statement from President Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo on the arrest and detention last Wednesday of former leader Joseph
Estrada. Full text follows:
"This government is committed to due process, and due process will be the
guiding light in the forthcoming trial of former President Joseph Estrada.
He is entitled to his day in court, and we will see to it that he will get
this day in court."
"I have also instructed the Department of Interior and Local Government to
provide all the amenities due and befitting the former President and his son
San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada. Let it be said that this government is
sensitive to the needs of the former head of state."
"I also urge the opposition candidates not to use the gathering on the
hallowed ground of EDSA to further their own political interests."
"The issue here is not political; hence, politics should take the back seat
here. The charges have been filed in the proper court, and due process will
be observed. Let not EDSA be used to confuse the issue, let not the campaign
focus on the trial, which is already in the proper venue."
BAYAN CALLS FOR MAY 1 NATIONWIDE ANTI-ESTRADA RALLIES
INQ7.net, April 27, 2001
BAYAN, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance), issued a call
on Friday for nationwide anti-Estrada protest rallies on May 1, Labor Day.
In a statement to the press, Bayan chairman Rafael Mariano said, "Like a
cornered rat, the ousted and now arrested former president Joseph Estrada is
desperately trying to mount an escape. Now, Estrada has shamelessly mobilized
his friends into another buying frenzy -- buying huge crowds to sustain a
rally at EDSA that calls for his release and return to the presidency."
Mariano was referring to the thousands of Estrada supporters who have
gathered at the EDSA Shrine since Wednesday evening, following Estrada's
arrest on corruption charges that same day.
"On May 1, let us return to the streets in our millions with nationally-
coordinated and organized rallies to assert, reaffirm and certify our verdict
against Estrada, " said Mariano.
"We call on workers, peasants, youth, women, professionals, government
employees, indigenous peoples, Muslims, gays and other Filipinos to make May 1
a show of force by patriotic, progressive, upright and decent Filipinos who
will not allow the ongoing immoral and unprincipled enterprise to succeed in
turning back the wheels of history."
Bayan, Mariano said, is also against Estrada receiving any special treatment
bail or house arrest or free bail. Instead, they called for his prompt
arraignment and trial.
The group also called on justice officials to arrest, prosecute and punish
Estrada's cohorts and cronies, whom Bayan claimed were using ill-gotten loot
and clout to fund and fan the EDSA rally.
ESTRADA ARREST BOOSTS BUSINESS SECTOR CONFIDENCE ON GMA GOV'T.
INQ7.net, April 26, 2001
MALACAÑANG today downplayed the mass action staged by loyalists of the former
president at the EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City and called it a peace and
order problem which can be handled by police authorities.
In a radio interview, Presidential Chief of Staff Renato Corona said the
administration only hopes that the pro-Estrada protests would be peaceful
and nobody gets hurt, especially the bystanders and innocent civilians.
The Palace issued the statement even as Estrada supporters continue to mass
at EDSA and more policemen are being deployed in the areas surrounding Camp
Crame where the ousted president is detained.
Corona assured that Estrada's arrest has reinforced the confidence of the
business community in the sincerity of the administration in fighting
corruption in government.
"In fact, yong stock market po, nag-rebound kahapon. Napakaganda ng
performance ng merkado (In fact, the stock market rebounded yesterday. The
performance of the market was impressive)," Corona said.
Traders said share prices at the Philippine Stock Exchange ended higher
Wednesday as investors cheered the long-awaited decision of the Sandiganbayan
to issue a warrant of arrest against the deposed president on plunder charges.
Corona also said contrary to speculations, the arrest of the disgraced
president could even boost the chances of the senatorial candidates of the
administration-backed People Power Coalition.
Corona is the officer-in-charge of the Office of the Executive Secretary
while Executive Secretary Renato de Villa is recuperating from a triple heart
bypass at the Makati Medical Center.
CHURCH SEEKS TO EJECT ESTRADA RALLYIST FROM EDSA SHRINE
AFP, Inquirer, April 26, 2001
CHURCH leaders on Thursday asked police to evict several thousand supporters
of jailed ex-president Joseph Estrada who took over and allegedly vandalized
a Roman Catholic shrine, a church spokesman said.
Several thousand fans of the 64-year-old former movie star remained at the
EDSA shrine on Thursday afternoon. They began gathering there on Wednesday
night after police arrested their idol and threw him in a prison nearby to
stand trial for corruption.
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines spokesman Hernando Coronel
said a flag of the Vatican was missing from the shrine, which features a
large bronze statue of the Virgin Mary rising over Manila's main thoroughfare.
Some of the demonstrators perched themselves on the statue, and "there were
heaps of garbage" all around, Monsignor Coronel told reporters.
"We also do not know what happened to the Vatican flag." Coronel said Church
leaders are holding talks with police officials on how to deal with the
protesters who he said were trespassing.
"Let us respect the sacredness of the place where the statue of Our Lady of
Peace stands," Coronel said.
Estrada supporters have no love lost with the dominant Catholic Church whose
leaders took part in the popular revolt that toppled Estrada three months
ago.
ESTRADA COUNSEL SAYS HOUSE ARREST COULD PACIFY RALLYISTS
INQ7.net, April 26, 2001
A LAWYER of Joseph Estrada said that granting house arrest to the incarcerated
former president could “assuage the anger” of thousands of Estrada supporters
gathered at the Edsa Shrine.
Legal counsel Raymond Fortun, who is appealing to the Sandiganbayan that
Estrada be placed under house arrest, said in a radio report that the
thousands of rallyists would be pacified if the ousted president were
removed from his Camp Crame detention cell.
Estrada has to spend at least five more days at Camp Crame, pending the
results of his counsels’ appeal for house arrest. Estrada spent his first
night in jail last night. Former first lady Luisa Ejercito said Estrada woke
up early this morning and listened to the radio for updates on the ongoing
rally.
PRO-ESTRADA RALLYISTS AT EDSA ESTIMATED AT 15,000-20,000
INQ7.net, April 26, 2001
THOUSANDS of supporters of Joseph Estrada continue to gather at the Edsa
Shrine, site of the People Power II uprising that toppled the former
president.
Latest police estimates place the number of the crowd from between 15,000 to
20,000 people, radio and television reports said. Leaders of the Pro-Estrada
group have said that more supporters are coming in from other areas of the
city.
Organizers have said that they will stay at the shrine until Estrada is
released and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo steps down from office.
Earlier, senatorial candidate Dr. Luisa Ejercito, Estrada’s wife, read a
statement from the ousted president saying he was well and that he was
gratified that supporters were calling for his release.
Senatorial candidates of the opposition Puwersa ng Masa and members of
Estrada’s immediate family have taken turns haranguing the crowd and calling
for the return of Estrada to Malacañang.
Meanwhile, Presidential spokesperson Rigoberto Tiglao appealed to supporters
of the former president not to use Estrada’s arrest on various corruption
charges as a reason for political protests. He said the government was simply
enforcing the law and that Estrada is being accorded due process, although
he earlier admitted that television footage of Estrada being fingerprinted
and photographed as part of his arrest may have been unfair.
Department of National Defense Chief Angelo Reyes and Armed Forces chief of
staff Villanueva said that they will definitely not go to Edsa and that the
military is 100% behind Ms Macapagal.
The crowd gathered at the shrine yesterday when Estrada supporters were
forcibly dispersed from Camp Crame where Estrada is being detained.
Police forces monitoring the situation at Edsa have said they will exercise
maximum tolerance and have no orders to disperse the crowd. Earlier Puwersa
ng Masa senatorial candidate Juan Ponce Enrile warned the crowd that
government forces were preparing to disperse them.
'Vandalism'
Reports of vandalism at the Edsa Shrine have led the Catholic Church, which
supported the People Power II uprising at the shrine, to ask that the
demonstrators be ejected from the site. The fiberglass face of a statue of
the Virgin Mary has been defaced, said reports.
And a TV news report quoted Monsignor Soc Villegas, rector of the shrine as
saying that garbage was pelted against a marker indicating the shrine is
holy ground.
Mediamen attempting to cover the rally have been pelted with water bottles
and have been forced away, according to a report from DzBB. The crowd at Edsa
has caused massive traffic jams in the metropolis.
CHRONOLOGY OF ESTRADA CORRUPTION SCANDAL
INQ7.net, April 25, 2001
CHRONOLOGY of events that led to the court order Wednesday for the arrest
and jailing of ousted leader Joseph Estrada on plunder charges:
Oct 9, 2000: Estrada's former friend, provincial governor Luis Singson
accuses the president of pocketing more than 12 million dollars in bribes
from illegal gambling syndicates and kickbacks from tobacco excise taxes.
Estrada denies the charges.
Oct 12: Vice president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the constitutional successor
to Estrada, resigns from her cabinet post as social welfare secretary citing
a loss of confidence in his leadership.
Oct 18: Opposition legislators file an impeachment motion against Estrada in
the House of Representatives over the gambling payoffs scandal as thousands
of anti-Estrada activists call for the president to quit.
Oct 25: Ms. Macapagal forms a united opposition against the embattled
president.
Nov 8: Estrada admits four million dollars in intended bribes were deposited
into the account of a presidential charity organization controlled by his
lawyer. Estrada says the money is intact and can be used as evidence to
disprove corruption charges against him.
Nov 13: Estrada is impeached by the House of Representatives for alleged
corruption, betrayal of public trust and violations of the constitution. The
case is elevated to the Senate for trial.
Dec 1: President Estrada enters a "not guilty" plea to the corruption charges.
Dec 7: Senate begins corruption trial with prosecutors accusing Estrada of
being a thief who had run the Philippines like a gangland boss.
Dec 22: A senior bank officer testifies she was one foot away when Estrada
repeatedly signed a false name on a 10 million dollar trust account allegedly
built up through criminal activities.
Dec 30: Five bombs explode in Manila, killing 22 people and wounding almost
100 others. Government blames a major local Muslim rebel group and says it
was not linked to the trial while opposition groups accuse Estrada of
orchestrating the blasts to divert attention.
Jan 16: The 21 senators acting as judges in the trial decide in a 11-10 vote
to disallow examination of Estrada's alleged 66 million dollar secret bank
account allegedly built up from illicit sources. This is seen as a virtual
acquittal of Estrada.
Jan 17: Prosecutors in the trial quit en masse. Hundreds of thousands of
people take to the streets to protest the Senate decision and call for
Estrada to quit. Security forces are on full alert.
Jan 19: Estrada, trying desperately to buy time, authorizes his bank records
to be opened and urges a snap presidential election in May. He fails to stop
a wave of defections as cabinet members resign and the military withdraw
their support.
Jan 20: Estrada refuses to resign, Supreme Court declares the presidency
vacant, and vice-president Macapagal is installed as the new president. Two
and a half hours later, Estrada and his family leave the presidential palace.
April 4: Philippine Ombudsman Aniano Desierto indicts Estrada for plunder
and seven other related charges of graft amounting to more than four billion
pesos (80 million dollars) and files charges before the special anti-graft
court called Sandiganbayan. Plunder is punishable by death.
April 10: The Supreme Court throws out last-ditch appeals by Estrada for
presidential immunity, clearing the way for his prosecution and arrest.
April 16: The Sandiganbayan hands down an arrest warrant for Estrada on the
lesser charge of perjury and diversion of public funds. He swiftly posts
bail for his provisional freedom
April 25: The Sandiganbayan hands down a second arrest warrant against
Estrada, this time for charges of plunder, which do not permit bail if
evidence is strong. Police prepare to arrest Estrada and jail him.
ESTRADA ARRESTED, JAILED FOR PLUNDER
By INQ7.net, April 25, 2001
DISGRACED ex-president Joseph Estrada was arrested and taken to prison under
heavy guard today to stand trial for the crime of economic plunder which is
punishable by death.
Like a common criminal, Estrada was fingerprinted and had his mug shots taken
at the detention center of the former Presidential Anti-Organized Task Force
at Camp Crame. Estrada will stay alone in an ordinary jail cell during the
duration of his trial before the Sandiganbayan court.
The 64-year old Estrada, who was wearing a casual jacket, was brought to the
police camp aboard a black luxury van after court-appointed sheriffs served
him an arrest warrant.
Riots erupted near the posh Greenhills subdivision home of Estrada as his
supporters sought to prevent his arrest. Police had to use their batons as
well as water hoses to control rock-throwing pro-Estrada rallyists, and
allow the sheriffs to deliver the warrant.
Police sources said the operation to extract Estrada from his house and send
him to jail involved at least 2,000 policemen and Marines. Estrada was
accompanied to Camp Crame by his wife former first lady Luisa Ejercito, his
son San Juan mayor Jinggoy Estrada and his lawyers. Both Ms Ejercito and son
Jinggoy are co-respondents in the plunder case, and were likewise arrested
and jailed.
Estrada was not handcuffed like other suspects for a capital crime.
Several hundred special police forces had surrounded the van that brought
Estrada to the jail, followed by a long convoy of police vehicles.
Meanwhile, Estrada lawyer Raymund Fortun filed an urgent motion at the
Sandiganbayan's 3rd division asking for a house arrest for Estrada. Fortun
cited three bases for the motion, including the preservation of the dignity
of a former chief executive; protection of the accused; and to calm down the
emotion of Estrada supporters.
Later reports said that the fallen leader will not wear the orange-colored
prisoners' uniform and will not have his trademark pompadour touched by a
barber's scissors during his detention at Camp Crame.
According to reports, Estrada will be spared from this treatment accorded to
common criminals, until after he is convicted in the economic plunder case
he is facing before the anti-graft court.
As with other accused criminals, Estrada will enjoy conjugal visits from his
legal wife and ordinary visits from families and friends. But he will not be
allowed to use a cellular phone while under detention.
Estrada in taped message aired over radio and television defended himself.
"I followed the rule of law to the letter. I ask our people now to tell the
powers that be to respect our constitution and the rule of law," he said.
Meantime, stock prices closed 1.3 percent higher on news of the court order
with brokers saying it removed one element of uncertainty in the political
landscape. "We have shown that justice is working in the Philippines,"
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao told reporters.
"We consider this a historic moment. We showed that even the former highest
official of the land could held answerable for his action." Tiglao said
Estrada's arrest would have a favorable effect on to the investment climate
which had been depressed by a massive corruption scandal that led to his
ouster
ORDER IS OUT : ARREST ESTRADA
INQ7.net, April 25, 2001
THE ORDER to arrest former president Joseph Estrada is out.
After days of evaluation to determine probable cause, the Sandiganbayan’s
3rd Division Justice Anacleto Badoy signed the warrant of arrest for Estrada
to face prosecution for the crime of plunder.
Philippine National Police chief Leandro Mendoza has accepted the arrest
order for immediate implementation. The PNP will enforce the arrest warrant
together with the Sandiganbayan Sheriff’s Office.
Estrada will be taken to PNP headquarters in Camp Crame for fingerprinting
and routine arrest procedures and would be detained at the PNP detention
area. He would be detained for the duration of the trial. Also to be
arrested and detained are Estrada’s co-respondents in the plunder case
including San Juan Mayor Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada, former Pagcor consultant
Charlie "Atong" Ang, lawyer Edward Serapio, Yolanda Ricaforte, Alma Alfaro
Eleuterio Tan and Delia Rajas.
The fallen leader would soon face trial over a "culmination of criminal acts"
leading to the consolidated plunder charge before the Sandiganbayan 3rd
Division. These criminal acts constitute allegations he pocketed P130 million
in tobacco excise taxes intended for Ilocos Sur province and manipulated
state pension funds to invest in crony corporations in the Philippine stock
market, wherein he received a commission of P189.7 million. Estrada was also
indicted for maintaining a P3.6 billion Jose Velarde account and receiving a
total of P545 million in bribes from illegal gambling syndicates.
ARRESTING OFFICERS IN STAND-OFF WITH ESTRADA SUPPORTERS
INQ7.net, April 25, 2001
ARRESTING officers are in a stand-off with supporters of former president
Joseph Estrada as they attempt to enforce the arrest warrant issued by the
Sandiganbayan.
Estrada supporters have blocked the officers, led by Philippine National
Police chief Leandro Mendoza, from entering all roads leading to Polk Street
where the Estrada residence is located.
Reports reaching INQ7 said however that Estrada counsels including former
Supreme Court Chief Justice Andres Narvasa and lawyer Cleofe Versola were
allowed inside the former president's North Greenhills residence.
Estrada counsels are currently in negotiations with the arresting officers.
Lawyers want the officers to give Estrada two to three hours to prepare
himself and his belongings before he is taken to Camp Crame.
Metro Manila police commander Senior Supt. Edgardo Aglipay said in a
television interview that the arresting team would continue to negotiate
with Estrada's supporters for an orderly compliance of the warrant. The
warrant was served at 11 am today by the Sandiganbayan's third division.
