Thousands rally against Estrada in RP capital

Thousands rally against Estrada in RP capital

MANILA, Philippines (AP): Tens of thousands of Filipinos
crowded streets and highway overpasses in Manila Saturday for a
rally demanding that President Joseph Estrada resign over
allegations he received massive payoffs from illegal gambling
lords.

"Mr. President, you are the cause of our hardships, you are
the problem," said former President Corazon Aquino. "History may
treat you more kindly if you go peacefully and you go now."

Pressure on Estrada to step down has escalated rapidly as
prominent lawmakers have deserted his LAMP party in recent days.
More than 50 former LAMP congressmen have said they will support
an impeachment case in the House of Representatives, virtually
assuring enough votes to send it to the Senate for a trial.

The once immensely popular Estrada - a former movie action
star - predicted victory as he helped distribute relief goods
Saturday to victims of a typhoon in nearby Rizal province.

"It's like in the movies," he told villagers. "The hero is
always beaten up in the beginning, but in the end he wins."

Saturday's rally, organized by Manila's influential
archbishop, Jaime Cardinal Sin, was held at a shrine
commemorating the peaceful "people's power" revolt that ousted
dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. Participants crowded the
shrine and three nearby highway overpasses and threw confetti
from nearby buildings.

"Erap resign," they chanted, using Estrada's popular nickname.

While the color yellow symbolized the 1986 revolt, many
participants in Saturday's rally wore white, representing their
demand for corruption-free government.

"He is mismanaging the economy and the government is ridden
with scandal," said Sister Rufisanti, a nun who also participated
in the "people's power" revolt. "He should resign. The people
have lost confidence in him as a leader."

Estrada's crisis erupted early last month when a provincial
governor, Luis Singson, testified that the president had asked
him to coordinate the nationwide collection of payoffs from an
illegal numbers game called jueteng.

Singson said he provided Estrada with more than 400 million
pesos (US$8.6 million) in jueteng payoffs and 130 million pesos
($2.8 million) from provincial tobacco taxes. Estrada has denied
taking any illegal gambling money but has provided little
evidence in his defense.

Also joining Saturday's rally was Vice President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo, who heads an opposition coalition and is next
in line for the presidency.

"It is not a happy occasion for Filipinos to declare the
leader whom they freely and popularly elected president is
someone who has betrayed their trust so grievously, so callously,
so repeatedly," Arroyo said.

Resignations from Estrada's LAMP party on Friday included the
leaders of both houses of Congress - Senate President Franklin
Drilon and House Speaker Manuel Villar.

Villar said he would back the impeachment complaint, which the
House Committee on Justice is to begin considering Monday.

On his weekly television program Saturday, Estrada suggested
he would stay on to face impeachment.

"As your president, what is most important for me is the
welfare of the people. For you, I am willing to make sacrifices
on any political matter. In my view, the process provided by the
constitution is sufficient," he said.