PHILIPPINES: PROTESTORS DEMAND RESIGNATION OF PRESIDENT

(18 Jan 2001) Tagalog/Eng/Nat

Thousands of people have joined protests around the Philippines and in the country's capital, Manila, to demand the resignation of their president, former movie actor Joseph Estrada.

In a blow to the president, Nora Aunor, a popular actress who once actively campaigned for the former action movie star, said she no longer supports Estrada.

She was speaking at the EDSA People Power Commission's rally in Manila. EDSA is a government group set up to promote democratic action in the Philippines.

Nineteen of the 22 members appointed to the Commission resigned on Thursday and urged a boycott of companies owned by what they called cronies of Estrada.

Aunor said at the rally that the people can see what's happening and that if they demand the president's resignation, he should go.

In another rally on Thursday, demonstrators formed a 10-kilometre (six-mile) human chain from the financial district to a monument to the revolution that forced out late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Up to 100 thousand people gathered at the monument.

A general strike was called for Friday, and protest organizers hoped the numbers would continue to grow to hundreds of thousands for a march planned on the presidential palace.

The anger was sparked after the impeachment trial of Joseph Estrada was put on hold on Wednesday after prosecutors quit, claiming a fair verdict was impossible.

The proceedings were thrown into chaos late on Tuesday when the Senate voted 11-10 to stop prosecutors from examining bank records they say would prove the president has become rich from corruption.

The entire 11-man House prosecution panel quit on Wednesday, as did one of the 22 Senators sitting as judges.

Fuentebella said he hadn't given up on trying to get the prosecutors to rescind their resignations.

One of them, Rep. Joker Arroyo, said in a television interview that he would consider returning if Estrada agreed to testify in person.

Many of the same leaders who led the "people power" revolution that ousted late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 called for more rallies on Thursday to force President Joseph Estrada from power.

Amongst them - Corazon Aquino, former President Fidel Ramos and Jaime Cardinal Sin.

The Philippine Government Spokesman assured the press that the country would run as usual, despite the mass rallies against the President.

The police and military vowed to stay out of the political fray that has battered the Philippine financial markets.

Riot police were ferried into Manila to prevent unrest in the sprawling capital of 12 (M) million people.

But Defence Secretary Orlando Mercado said Estrada told police to treat protesters with "maximum tolerance"
and ordered soldiers to stay in their barracks.

Mercado accused opposition groups of wanting a coup to remove Estrada but denied any such plans by the politically divided military.

He said the military has decided not to engage in partisan politics.

The decision on what to do with the impeachment trial is in the hands of the lower house of Congress, which sent the corruption charges to the Senate.

House Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella would only say he hoped for a resolution by Sunday.

Estrada, who was elected with an unprecedented electoral majority in 1998 and has denied enriching himself in office, has vowed to see his term to the end, in 2004.

But in October, Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Singson accused him of taking more than 7.7 (m) million dollars in bribes from illegal gambling lords and 2.5 (m) million dollars in tobacco tax kickbacks.

SUPER CAPTION: Vox pop






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