RP Congress moves to impeach Erap

By Jim Gomez

AP Writer

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Congress took a first step Monday toward impeachment of President Joseph Estrada on charges he took millions of dollars in illegal gambling payoffs.

House Speaker Manuel Villar ordered an impeachment resolution filed last week by opposition groups be handled urgently by the Committee on Justice.

Pro-Estrada legislators control Congress, and would likely reject an impeachment call if its reaches the full legislature. But it is another sign of increasing pressure on Estrada to leave office.

Several anti-Estrada groups announced the formation Monday of a nationwide campaign for his resignation and said they would hold protests on Wednesday.

Allegations by a provincial governor, Luis Singson, that he provided Estrada with more than $8.6 million in payoffs from illegal gambling operators and $2.8 million from provincial tobacco taxes have touched off the Philippines’ worst political crisis in years. Estrada has denied the accusation.

Former presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos have suggested Estrada resign, as have the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches.

In testimony Monday to a Senate committee, bank officials partially collaborated Singson’s accusations, saying they transferred $2.8 million from the government of llocos Sur province to three accounts in Manila, from which the money was withdrawn the same day.

It was unclear, however, where the money went.

In a new allegation against Estrada, a report published in several newspapers Monday said front companies and friends purchased nearly $20 million worth of land and houses in posh Manila neighborhoods on Estrada’s behalf over the past three years. There was no immediate comment from Estrada on the report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.

Under the constitution, the Committee on Justice has 60 days to decide whether to forward impeachment charges to the full House of Representatives. The resolution must be backed by a majority of the committee’s 51 members — who include just nine opposition members.

The impeachment complaint filed last Wednesday accuses the president of bribery, graft and constitutional violations.

Congress is scheduled to go on a two-week break Oct. 28, but Villar ordered the committee to hold hearings during the break because of the complaint’s urgency.

Many Filipinos fear a prolonged crisis will severely damage the economy and threaten democratic institutions. The Philippine currency, the peso, has hit record lows against the dollar and its stock market has tumbled because of the political instability.

Estrada’s top aide, Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora, said the president is open to a proposal to settle the crisis by holding a snap election if lawmakers can find a way to do it under the constitution.

Estrada was elected more than two years ago with one of the largest margins in recent memory.