Estrada dealt setback on first day in office

Estrada dealt setback on first day in office

SUBIC BAY, Philippines (Agencies): A Philippine court dealt President Joseph Estrada a setback on his first full day in office yesterday by stopping his attempt to oust a political foe as head of a major industrial estate.

Estrada had ordered the removal of Richard Gordon as chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) but a defiant Gordon went to court to challenge his dismissal.

Judge Eliodoro Ubiadas, in his temporary restraining order released to media, called a hearing of the case for Monday and directed Estrada and his staff "to cease and desist" from ousting Gordon.

The court handed down its order as hundreds of supporters of Gordon, some armed with clubs, barricaded the gates of Subic Bay to prevent Estrada's newly designated SBMA chief from entering the complex.

The judge said Estrada's order and Gordon's refusal to obey it had created a "highly tense and emotional situation...(that) could result in violence."

There was no immediate reaction from Estrada but he told reporters earlier that he was ready to withdraw his appointment of Felicito Payumo if the court ruled against him. Estrada added the fight over Subic leadership was "scaring away investors."

U.S. air cargo company Federal Express diverted yesterday three planes from its Asian hub at the Subic Bay freeport after the rival groups threatened a violent showdown.

The three planes, each carrying about 10 tons of cargo, were diverted to Manila late Tuesday and early yesterday, airport officials said.

But the former movie action star was clear that unless stopped by the courts, he was ready to physically evict Gordon from the complex. "If necessary, we will carry him bodily if he resists."

Already, one person has died -- a woman after a heart attack -- in the standoff.

Police said the woman collapsed during the night while she was at the barricades at the Subic gates with hundreds of other Gordon backers to prevent Payumo from entering.

One of the first orders Estrada issued on taking office on Tuesday was to scrap his predecessor Fidel Ramos's order reappointing Gordon to another six-year term as SBMA chairman.

Subic, 80 kilometers west of Manila, was formerly a U.S. naval base. After American forces withdrew from the Philippines in 1992, Ramos turned it into an industrial zone.

Under Gordon's stewardship, Subic has become a booming free port, with exports totaling $1.4 billion during the past four years. About 300 foreign and Philippine firms operate in the zone.

Bad blood has existed between Estrada and Gordon since 1991 when Estrada, then a senator, successfully took part in a campaign to oust U.S. military bases from the country.