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.