RP minister quits over appointment of Abadia
RP minister quits over appointment of Abadia
MANILA (AFP): Crisis returned to the Philippines on Thursday when the defense secretary resigned over new President Gloria Arroyo's appointment to cabinet of a former general under investigation for corruption.
As Arroyo showed off her cabinet to a news conference, any hope the new administration would usher in much needed stability evaporated as Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado announced his departure across town.
Arroyo came to power last Saturday when former president Joseph Estrada was hounded from the presidential palace by mass protests demanding he step down over allegations of wholesale corruption.
But on Thursday Mercado, who stayed on from Estrada's cabinet, said he could not work beside National Security Adviser Lisandro Abadia. Mercado filed corruption charges against the retired general in 1998.
"How can I serve in the cabinet together with the national security adviser when I initiated the investigation against him and up to this time (the charges are) still pending in the courts?" Mercado asked.
Arroyo confirmed Mercado had offered to quit, but said she had not yet accepted.
She insisted Mercado's leaving would not affect the armed forces, saying: "The chain of command is direct from the president to the chief of staff."
Abadia denied any wrongdoing and expressed regret at the row. "If he wants, I can submit my resignation so he can stay on," said Abadia, a former armed forces chief of staff.
The country has been in turmoil for months over the accusations Estrada stole millions of dollars in state funds and took millions more in bribes.
His subsequent trial in the Senate saw the stock market and currency plummet further and growth and foreign investment all but dry up.
When a slim majority of senators voted along party lines last week to suppress evidence detailing Estrada's secret bank accounts -- all but acquitting him -- hundreds of thousands of angry protesters took to the streets, paralyzing Manila and other cities and forcing him to quit.
The withdrawal of support by Mercado and military chief Angelo Reyes from Estrada last Friday triggered the collapse of the former government.
The 63-year-old former movie star now faces a possible criminal prosecution and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Even so, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said Thursday Estrada was free to leave the country if he wanted while stressing the ex-president had not indicated any wish to do so.
"If former president Estrada wants to leave, that is his decision. We cannot force him to leave," Perez said.
Senate president Aquilino Pimentel earlier urged Arroyo to banish Estrada to remove any possible security threat and allow the nation to rebuild after months of turmoil.