Estrada impeached; braces to face Senate trial

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, NOV. 13. The Philippine President, Mr. Joseph Estrada, who was impeached by the House of Representatives in Manila today, will have to face a trial by the Senate.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Manuel Villar, ordered the House Secretary-General to ``transmit to the Senate'' the articles of impeachment. He said the impeachment motion had received the minimum 73 votes in the 218- member House as required to begin the Senate trial.

In the next stage of the process, which could result in the President's removal from office, the Senate, which is the upper House, will hear charges against Mr. Estrada and decide whether he is guilty of corruption. A two-thirds majority, at least 15 Senators in a House of 22, will be required to oust the one-time film actor from office.

Following the recent defection of over 40 ruling party legislators, including the Speaker, the result of the impeachment process in the lower House was a foregone conclusion. Today's proceedings took just eight minutes.

Mr. Estrada, however, has resisted all pressure being exerted by the Opposition and the Catholic Church to quit office after a provincial Governor accused him of taking over $ 8 millions in illegal gambling proceeds.

In a bizarre defence, the President has claimed that $ 4 millions was forced on him by Mr. Luis Singson, the Governor and one-time friend, and went into a charity account and had not been touched by him.

``I have told the lower House, especially my partymates, to speed up the process of impeachment and bring it to the Senate so I can face the trial and end the whole thing,'' Mr. Estrada was quoted as saying, adding his conscience was clear.

``I will prove wrong those who have put their personal and political interests above the interests of our country by demanding my ouster...,'' Mr. Estrada said. His six-year term as President officially ends only in 2004.

Such a statement for expediting the impeachment process in the Senate can only indicate that Mr. Estrada is confident of the support of those loyal to him in the 22-member upper House.

There have been a couple of defections to the Opposition, including that of the Senate President (a new one was elected today), but Mr. Estrada appears confident of the numbers for the moment.

If he is indeed confident of the majority, then the President may well like to have a quick trial in the Senate and ``end'' the controversy once and for all. Such a move, however, is not certain. As far as the impeachment motion approved by the House of Representatives is concerned, it contains a large number of corruption charges.

Mr. Estrada is accused of accepting 10 million pesos ($ 2,08,300 a month) as bribe from the ``jueteng'' or illegal gambling operation controlled by Mr. Luis Singson from November 1998 to August 2000.

The President is also accused of ``having unexplained wealth and thereby committing perjury because records show that he and his wife and mistress and their children have interests in companies outside their three firms listed in his statement of assets and liabilities.''

According to the impeachment motion, Mr. Estrada allegedly participated in real estate business through a family- controlled corporation which constructed 36 town houses in Antipolo City, Manila.

The list of charges against Mr. Estrada is a long one. The President, however, has been unfazed by the charges, and has sought the support of evangelist preachers to shore up his public support by addressing one massive rally.

The Opposition is slated to respond in the same coin. As the process to remove Mr. Estrada moved into the trial stage in the Senate, the battle also continues in the streets of Philippines - with both the ruling party and the Opposition stepping up their political campaign.

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Section  : International
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