President Estrada not quitting despite threats<\/p>\n
MANILA (Reuters): Philippine President Joseph Estrada,
\nhardening his stance not to resign despite threats of an
\nimpeachment trial, said on Tuesday that opponents demanding he
\nquit over a bribery scandal were hallucinating.<\/p>\n
\"That's unthinkable,\" Estrada said. \"From the very start I
\nnever thought of resigning...never, never, never. Tell them to
\nstop imagining things,\" Estrada told reporters after speaking to
\nthe Marine Corps.<\/p>\n
Senior aides said Estrada had toughened on his decision not to
\nresign after a poll showed that many Filipinos wanted him to hang
\non.<\/p>\n
\"He will take his chances...let his fate be decided by the
\nimpeachment process and we will support him in that,\"
\npresidential spokesman Ricardo Puno said.<\/p>\n
Estrada emphasized his resolve to stay in office during talks
\nwith chief critic and former president Fidel Ramos on Monday,
\nnational security adviser Alexander Aguirre said.<\/p>\n
An opinion survey by leading pollster Social Weather Stations
\nabout a week ago showed 44 percent disagreed with calls for
\nEstrada to step down, 29 percent were in favor while 26 percent
\nsaid they did not know.<\/p>\n
The survey indicated 66 percent of 1,200 people polled opposed
\nuse of \"people power\" or massive street protests to force Estrada
\nout of office and 85 percent opposed his removal by means of a
\ncoup d'etat.<\/p>\n
\"This is what I can say, I don't think just because they are
\nholding rallies that I would resign,\" Aguirre quoted Estrada as
\ntelling Ramos. \"The peso has strengthened because I am decisive
\nin not resigning. And the people are supporting me not to
\nresign.\"<\/p>\n
Lifestyle<\/p>\n
The Estrada-Ramos exchange occurred during a closed-door
\nmeeting of the National Security Council where Ramos told Estrada
\nto mend his ways or step down before Christmas.<\/p>\n
\"President Estrada should first reform himself (by) changing
\nhis extravagant lifestyle and his unfocused work ethic,\" Ramos,
\nseated beside the president, told the meeting, referring to the
\nformer movie actor's reputation of being a womanizer and a heavy
\ndrinker.<\/p>\n
Ramos also urged Estrada to answer allegations that he had
\nreceived millions of dollars in payoffs from gambling syndicates
\nrunning underground lotteries.<\/p>\n
\"If you cannot do so before mid-December, then resign,\" Ramos
\nadded, in comments released by the presidential palace.
\nEstrada, elected to a six-year term by a landslide in mid-1998,
\nhas denied taking bribes from illegal gambling and said he will
\nwelcome an impeachment trial in the Senate, which is likely to
\nbegin later this month.<\/p>\n
Palace officials said Estrada had approved a package of
\nreforms proposed by his ruling coalition in an attempt to halt a
\nsevere erosion of his popular support.<\/p>\n
One proposal seeks to ban presidential relatives and people
\nwith \"intimacy or close personal relationship\" from any business
\ntransactions with the government.<\/p>\n
Estrada and his advisers appeared confident he would survive a
\nSenate trial.<\/p>\n
\"If the Senate is going to convict him, then I think it's
\nduty-bound on his advisers to tell him not to go through the
\nprocess anymore and go gracefully,\" Socio-Economic Planning
\nSecretary Felipe Medalla said.<\/p>\n
\"But the way it looks now, it doesn't seem that that's going
\nto be the end result,\" Medalla added.<\/p>\n
At least 15 of the 22 senators have to vote in favor to remove
\nthe president from office. A total of 14 have indicated they are
\neither opposed to the president or are independent.<\/p>\n
Analysts say Estrada can count on no more than five senators
\nfor support and the rest could vote either way.<\/p>\n
Vice-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Estrada's potential
\nsuccessor, is leading the campaign for his ouster and is backed
\nby the powerful church, two former presidents, almost all major
\nbusiness groups and scores of congressmen who have defected from
\ngovernment ranks.<\/p>\n
Philippine financial markets, which have slumped sharply since
\nthe allegations against Estrada emerged in early October, surged
\non Monday on hopes he would quit soon.<\/p>\n
The stock market's main index gained 0.83 percent on Tuesday
\nin addition to its 16.5 percent leap on Monday. But the peso was
\nweaker, as corporate dollar demand emerged after it gained almost
\nthree pesos to about 48 to the dollar by Monday evening. It was
\nweaker than 49 to the dollar by the close of local trading on
\nTuesday.<\/p>",
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