Estrada scoffs at reports saying he would flee

Estrada scoffs at reports saying he would flee

MANILA (AFP): Deposed Philippine president Joseph Estrada on Saturday laughed off reports he was seeking to flee the country and accused the government of President Gloria Arroyo of spreading rumors against him.

"For the umpteenth time, I'll never the leave the country," Estrada told reporters, reacting to reports that the Arroyo government was trying to block him from seeking asylum abroad.

Estrada also ridiculed the government for having police and other security forces monitor his movements, saying "they should invest their time and effort fighting crime. They should not waste time watching me because I won't leave."

He charged that it was the Arroyo government that was pressuring him to leave the country but that he turned them down because he was not certain he would be allowed to return.

Earlier, diplomatic sources said that the Arroyo government requested 11 countries and territories including the United States to deny Estrada asylum if he sought it.

Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Palau, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, as well as Hong Kong and Macau, had been contacted by the foreign department, diplomatic sources said.

The government plans to put Estrada on trial for massive corruption. Among the cases being readied are for plunder, a non- bailable offense punishable by death.

Estrada said that the government was pressuring his friends to testify against him, adding that even his wife, Luisa Ejercito was being pushed to turn against her husband.

The deposed leader had previously accused the Arroyo government of using "psy-war" tactics against him.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer meanwhile, said a private Learjet being used by Estrada ally Eduardo Cojuangco, was barred from flying out of the country on Friday due to suspicions that Estrada might use it.

Air Transportation officials told AFP the plane's owners, a private charter firm on Friday, suddenly filed a plan to fly to Hong Kong on the same day.

The officials said they did not approve of it because no exit permit had been issued. However they would not say whether Estrada was planning to use the plane.

Estrada was toppled in a military-backed popular revolt which installed Arroyo as president on Jan. 20.

Government officials earlier said they were monitoring the movements of Estrada who has been campaigning for his party candidates ahead of elections in May. The parties of Arroyo and Estrada are also competing for 13 senate seats up for election.

Among the candidates is Estrada's wife, Luisa Ejercito.

Estrada said he was confident that his Force of the Masses (Puwersa) party would capture nine of the 13 senate seats.

Despite his ousting and the numerous corruption charges being readied against him, Estrada said he still receives "a warm welcome" from the crowds when he campaigns for his party slate.

Senator Tito Sotto, a campaign manager for Estrada's Puwersa party said in a radio interview that when his group tried to buy aviation fuel for campaign sorties, it was told there was none left and that the air force had bought up all the stocks.

"Someone is applying pressure to keep us from getting the fuel," Sotto said.