Estrada greeted despite anti-U.S. base stance

Estrada greeted despite anti-U.S. base stance

MANILA (AP): The U.S. government expects to work warmly with Joseph Estrada, the Philippines' probable next president, despite his high-profile role in the closure of American military bases in the country, the U.S. ambassador said yesterday.

Ambassador Thomas Hubbard said Estrada has promised to forge closer ties with Washington, which hopes he will back a proposed agreement that would allow U.S. forces to conduct extensive military exercises in the Philippines.

"We look forward to working with him across the board," said Hubbard, who informally met the former movie actor last week.

Estrada has an insurmountable lead in the Philippine presidential race, according to figures released Friday by a poll watchdog group.

Based on returns from 79.25 percent of all precincts, Estrada had a 4,992,756 vote lead over his closest rival, ruling party candidate Jose de Venecia, the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections said.

Given an estimated voter turnout of 80 percent, all the uncounted votes would total 4,649,340, less than Estrada's lead, it said.

Estrada actively campaigned for the expulsion of American military bases in the Philippines. In 1991, he was among senators who rejected a bases agreement. The United States then closed its military facilities in the Philippines, ending nearly a century of U.S. military presence in this former American colony.

He also played the lead role in a Philippine movie that emotionally advocated the closure of the U.S. bases.

Nevertheless, Hubbard said, Estrada has remained a friend of the United States. He said U.S. officials could work together with Estrada to tackle bilateral trade and political issues.

In a country where many consider U.S. government acceptance an important factor in winning and sustaining the presidency, Estrada has recently made statements supportive of the Americans.

He said his opposition to U.S. bases in the past didn't mean he was anti-American.

"If I love the Americans less it's because I love the Filipinos more," he said in a recent interview, adding that the continued presence of U.S. bases in the country would have inhibited Filipinos from being self-reliant.

Estrada said he would welcome U.S. Navy ship visits in the Philippines, including repair stops, as long as they complied with local laws.

"As long as they are nuclear-free, they're most welcome," Estrada said. "We'd like to have the best relations with the Americans."

Since 1996, there have been no port calls by American military ships in the Philippines because of a lack of agreement on legal protection for visiting military personnel.

Philippine and U.S. officials have signed a pact allowing American Navy ship visits and bestowing legal protection to U.S. forces visiting the country to conduct military exercises. The pact, called the Visiting Forces Agreement, still has to be ratified by the Philippine Senate.