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.