Return of People Power?

The People Power revolution may likely recur in the Philippines if the court trial of President Joseph Estrada's corruption charges fails to bring justice to the more than 72 million people of the Philippines.

Already, tens of thousands took to the streets in Manila on Wednesday, protesting a Senate decision that apparently cleared Estrada of the serious charges that have tainted his image over the past few months, following accusations by his one-time friend, Luis Singson, that the president had received kickbacks amounting to hundreds of millions of pesos from illegal gambling syndicates.

Although Estrada has denied the charges and insisted on his innocence, most of the witnesses in the ongoing impeachment trial, which began last December, have provided incriminating evidence of his involvement in the scam, including bank accounts which he reportedly opened under a false name to cover up his real wealth and the illegal earnings he allegedly received from the gambling bosses. Worse still, it was revealed during the trial that Estrada apparently spent some of the kickbacks on buying luxurious mansions for his mistresses.

This, obviously, is an irony and a great contrast to the Estrada, who in July 1998, was appointed the 13th president of the Philippines because of his pledge to bring greater democracy and prosperity to his people. Estrada, known then as the champion of the poor, also promised to give a greater share of his country's wealth to the marginalized majority of Filipinos and not merely to the handful of people in the Makati Business Club.

Now that millions of Filipinos feel that their country's judicial system has been corrupted by a few senator-judges in the trial, it stands to reason that a wave of anti-Estrada protests have taken place in a number of the country's major cities. The people feel betrayed by the very man they trusted three years ago to bring them justice and prosperity.

The demonstrations, which have been taking place virtually on a daily basis, have been staged by the powerful and politically active Roman Catholic church led by Cardinal Jaime Sin, former president Corazon Aquino -- who led the People Power revolution herself and succeeded in overthrowing dictator Ferdinand Marcos nearly two decades ago -- Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, business associations and trade unions, with all calling for Estrada's resignation.

Although Estrada's received strong backup from the Senate, the indignant but peaceful protests on Wednesday, which Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado referred to as "political dynamics", were living proof of the people's distrust of Estrada and have shook the country's financial markets. The Philippine peso plunged 5.3 percent to a new all-time low of 55.75 against the dollar, according to news reports.

It is true that legally speaking Estrada has not been convicted but it is also true that morally he has been judged guilty by his own people.

With such a battered image, Estrada will certainly not be able to govern his country effectively and wisely. Wouldn't it be better for him to step down now in an honorable way than to be ousted in disgrace by the power of a popular revolution, as has been hinted at by his own predecessor, Fidel Ramos?

A smooth and peaceful transition of power is important not only to the people of the Philippines but also to the people of the region, particularly those grouped in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.