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".