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Estrada’s impeachment complaint intensified

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November 7, 2000 

MANILA (UNB/AP) - A congressional committee began deliberating on Monday an impeachment complaint against Philippine President Joseph Estrada accusing him of taking illegal gambling payoffs, as noisy pro- and anti-Estrada groups shoved and shouted outside Congress.

The House Committee on Justice started its evaluation by verifying the signatures of about a hundred congressmen on a resolution endorsing the impeachment, lawmakers said.

Estrada's chief aide denied news reports that negotiations were under way for a graceful exit for Estrada, who is facing mounting calls to resign over corruption allegations made in early October by a former ally.

"We don't know anything about that," Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora said. "President Estrada has not given anyone permission to start any kind of negotiations because he is determined to hold onto his position."

However, Finance Secretary Jose Pardo said he is willing to act as a go-between to broker talks between Estrada and former President Corazon Aquino, a leader of the loose coalition seeking Estrada's resignation, to resolve the political crisis.

"I have offered myself as a channel of communication," Pardo told reporters.

Zamora said he had decided not to leave the president, despite the recent departure of Estrada's trade secretary and chief political adviser, and desertions by the Senate president, House speaker, and more than 50 other lawmakers from Estrada's LAMP party.

Tens of thousands of people rallied Saturday demanding Estrada resign to spare the country from a prolonged political crisis that could devastate its already ailing economy.

Stocks, however, rallied Monday to their biggest one-day gain in 13 years, driven higher by market expectations that the defections would lead to Estrada's rapid departure - either through resignation or impeachment.

The main index on the stock exchange rocketed 16 percent to 1,500.10. The peso also surged, sending the dollar plunging below the key level of 49 pesos from a record high of 51.95 pesos hit last week.

Pro-Estrada congressmen were expected to raise technical questions to delay the impeachment proceedings, but supporters of impeachment were confident they could easily vote down any attempt to derail the process.

The impeachment complaint accuses Estrada of corruption, bribery and constitutional violations. A vote of at least one-third of the House, or 73 members, is needed to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial. A vote by two-thirds of the 22-seat Senate is required to remove the president from office.

House Speaker Manuel Villar said the articles of impeachment will likely to be submitted to the Senate later this month after Congress resumes its regular session on Nov. 13.

Activists, including a priest, handed out long-stemmed white roses symbolizing the quest for truth to pro-impeachment congressmen. Security was tight as several hundred pro- and anti-Estrada demonstrators rallied outside the building.

The two groups scuffled early in the day, injuring a number of people, according to police. At one point, they hurled coins and noisily accused each other of being paid to demonstrate. Riot police intervened.

Estrada also called a meeting later Monday of his National Security Council to discuss ways of dealing with the crisis and its impact on the economy.

Estrada acknowledged Sunday that he was hurt by the recent resignations, but said he was not losing heart. He cited a recent survey by a respected polling group, Social Weather Stations, showing a plurality of Filipinos were opposed to his removal from office.

Results of the survey, conducted Oct. 26 to 30 among 1,200 Filipinos, were released Sunday.

The survey said 20 percent of respondents felt the allegations against Estrada were true compared to 14 percent who thought otherwise. Fifty percent of the respondents said they were unsure. The poll had a margin of error of 3 percent.

Estrada's crisis erupted early last month when a provincial governor, Luis Singson, testified that the president had asked him to coordinate the nationwide collection of payoffs from an illegal numbers game called "jueteng."

Singson said he provided Estrada with more than 400 million pesos (dlrs 8.6 million) in jueteng payoffs and 130 million pesos (dlrs 2.8 million) from provincial tobacco taxes. Estrada has denied taking any illegal gambling money but has provided little evidence in his defense.