Estrada files libel suit against daily

Estrada files libel suit against daily

MANILA (AP): An angry President Joseph Estrada filed a libel
suit on Tuesday against a Manila newspaper which suggested he had
unwittingly allowed an improper power plant repair deal.

Estrada is seeking 101 million pesos (US$2.6 million) in
damages from The Manila Times. He said the money would be donated
to an orphanage and a scholarship program for impoverished Muslim
youth.

"This is the last straw," Estrada said after filing the
complaint with a prosecutor in suburban Mandaluyong City. "They
can criticize me, it's a democratic country. But if they accuse
me of graft and corruption, that's a different story."

In his complaint, Estrada said the newspaper's story was
accompanied by his picture, portraying him as though looking
toward the headline "Palace in P17 billion contract rigging".