President Arrovo vows to crush troublemakers

President Arrovo vows to crush troublemakers

MANILA (Agencies): Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo vowed on Monday to crush any attempt to grab power after tens of thousands of people rallied in support of jailed former leader Joseph Estrada.

Arroyo said there had been the threat of coup against her but it had faded when Estrada's followers called off a march to the presidential palace overnight.

"Last night there was going to be a power grab but it fizzled out," Arroyo told a news conference, adding that she had rejected requests for talks from key Estrada supporters.

"I said no, strike now so I can crush you," she said.

Officials had feared the planned march on the Malacanang presidential palace would be a signal for a coup attempt by forces still loyal to the disgraced former president.

But Estrada's supporters -- estimated by police to number between 100,000 and 300,000 -- dispersed around daybreak from the Edsa religious shrine in Manila where they gathered after his arrest last Wednesday.

Speaking on the eve of celebrations for Labor Day, which will also mark her first 100 days in office, Arroyo warned the protesters she would use force to maintain order.

"Everyone must understand that if one steps beyond the limits of lawful conduct, the government will have no recourse but to take all measures necessary to safeguard the public interest," Arroyo said, adding she understood there was dissatisfaction among the urban poor.

"We are equally determined to use reasonable force to protect the national interests and the security of the state."

Charges

The anti-graft Sandiganbayan court ordered Estrada and his son Jinggoy to appear on Thursday to formally answer charges of graft, perjury and economic plunder.

The court later put the date back to June 27 after Estrada's lawyers argued they needed time to prepare their arguments. The economic plunder charge is punishable by life in prison or death.

Estrada has denied any wrong-doing. He accused the Arroyo administration of railroading him and has urged his supporters to stage protests.

Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said he called on Eranio Manalo, the leader of a Filipino Protestant sect called the Church of Christ (INC), which the government accuses of airing anti-government broadcasts on their television and radio programs.

He said he assured them that Estrada, now undergoing medical checkups at a military hospital, was in good health and that his constitutional rights would be protected.

He said Manalo assured him that he would personally inform Arroyo that his sect had "no intention of toppling the government."

Also on Monday, Perez opened the idea of a plea-bargain that would allow Estrada to have his sentence commuted in exchange for a guilty plea. However he said "no offer has been made" by the defendant.

Markets hit

The political instability ahead of key Senate elections on May 14 -- Arroyo's first electoral test since she replaced Estrada in January -- hit Philippine financial markets on Monday.

The main stock index closed at a six-month low. The peso hit 15-week lows of 51.55 to the U.S. dollar but the central bank denied speculation it had intervened to prop up the currency.

Estrada loyalists had staged the biggest display of support for the former film actor since he was forced from office in January and demanded that Arroyo step down and hand power back to Estrada, who maintains he is still the rightful president.

But observers said the pro-Estrada crowd at the Edsa shrine had melted to between 2,000 and 4,000 later on Monday. Sunday's angry mood was replaced by a festive spirit, some protesters dancing in the rain during a brief shower.

Across town, thousands of Arroyo supporters were expected to gather at an overnight prayer vigil at Mendiola bridge leading to the presidential palace.

The atmosphere there was also in contrast to Sunday, when loyal troops ringed Malacanang and reinforcements were called in from the provinces. Palace officials said Estrada's supporters backed down because of the military's show of force.

Newspapers have said the planned putsch, allegedly hatched by opposition politicians and military officials, aimed to install a civilian-military junta which would later call a snap presidential election.

A presidential spokesman said intelligence reports indicated the plotters intended to use former military rebels involved in failed coup attempts in the 1980s as well as "criminal elements" in the power grab.

Among politicians who support Estrada, sources said a split had taken place between moderates expecting to do well in the May 14 Senate election and hard-liners bent on creating havoc.