Rallies hurting economy — Estrada

A day after seeking to dismiss impeachment charges against him, President Estrada called for an end to protests demanding his ouster, saying "they are hurting the economy."

"Let us stop these ruinous activities and other protests that seriously hurt our economy because those who will suffer are the majority of Filipino masses," Mr. Estrada said during his weekly radio program yesterday.

Mr. Estrada said he was prepared to face all the charges against him. "I hope that my opponents also show respect for our Constitution," he said.

Allegations by Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson that the President received hundreds of millions of pesos from illegal gambling operations and kickbacks from tobacco taxes prompted the opposition to file charges of bribery, corruption, violation of the constitution and betrayal of public trust against the President.

The allegations, which Mr. Estrada has denied, have plunged the country into its worst political crisis in years, threatening the country’s ailing economy.

An unusual alliance of business and labor groups and left-wing activists is demanding Mr. Estrada’s immediate resignation to avoid a prolonged impeachment process which could further hurt the economy.

They plan daily protests in Manila and other major cities next week, including a march and caravan of poor peasants from northern and southern provinces that will converge in the capital for a big demonstration on Nov. 30, the birthday of national hero Andres Bonifacio, who led the revolution against Spanish colonial rulers.

Mr. Estrada said: "In these trying times, let us be calm and let us not be swayed by some sectors who propagate all kinds of distortions that greatly affect our economy."

"I continue to pray for unity and lasting peace for our country," he said.

Press Secretary Ricardo Puno Jr., meanwhile, said the opposition appears to be divided as they seek different means of ousting the Mr. Estrada.

"Some of them won’t stop in just demanding the President to resign. In fact, some of them want to overthrow the government. They have different ideologies. All of them want to prevail," Puno said.

"That is where they went wrong," he added.

Puno noted that while there are people in the opposition who are working in good faith, there are those with questionable agenda.

"The opposition should be careful," he said. "I think it is obvious that they were infiltrated by groups with discredited ideologies, and these are the groups that don’t have the people’s welfare in mind."

Mr. Estrada has repeatedly said he will not resign and insisted on impeachment as the only constitutional means to unseat him.

However, on Friday, his lawyers asked the Senate to dismiss the impeachment charges, saying they were technically flawed.

Opposition lawmakers said the move was meant to delay his impeachment trial, the first for a Philippine president.

The motion to dismiss the charges filed by Mr. Estrada’s lawyers raised questions over the haste by which the House of Representatives forwarded the articles of impeachment to the Senate last Nov. 13.

There was no vote on the impeachment complaint by the full House. Rep. Manuel Villar, who was then House speaker, ruled that a vote was unnecessary because more than the required one-third of the members had earlier signed a petition endorsing impeachment.

Mr. Estrada’s lawyers, led by retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Andres Narvasa, argued that the House did not follow the constitutional requirement for a hearing in determining "probable cause" before the charges were raised to the Senate.

The defense also said that those who endorsed the impeachment complaint did not have personal knowledge of Mr. Estrada’s alleged misdeeds, a violation of the constitutional requirement for a preliminary investigation to determine whether the charges can be substantiated.

Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., who heads the Senate impeachment tribunal, set a hearing on the motion for Nov. 28.

Opposition lawmakers have accused Estrada and his lawyers of delaying the trial.

Makati Rep. Joker Arroyo, one of the 11 members of the House prosecution panels, aid the administration "is engaged in double speak."

"On the one hand the president says he wants a speedy trial to clear his name, yet his lawyers have embarked on a dilatory tactic. It doesn’t sit well… with the public," he said in an interview with ABS-CBN television.

Meanwhile, Villar warned of widespread unrest if Mr. Estrada’s supporters would continue to derail the trial.

He said the petition of Mr. Estrada’s lawyers to have the case dismissed "will only further escalate the divisiveness brought about by the issue."

"Moves to dismiss the case outright will not serve the interest of justice and will only delay the resolution of the case and this will not be good for the country," he said.

For his part, Leyte Rep. Sergio Apostol said the political plans of his colleagues in the prosecution panel could take a back seat as they try to convict the President.

"The work of a prosecutor in the impeachment trial … is a task reposed upon him by Congress as mandated by the Constitution. In taking up this task, a prosecutor has to make a lot of sacrifices and consign to the back burner all concerns and plans affecting his career," he said.

Realtors seek speedy trial

The Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association (CREBA) asked lawyers of Mr. Estrada to withdraw their motion to dismiss the case, saying this would speed up the impeachment trial.

The group said prolonging the trial would only spawn economic chaos.

Besides, "any act by the defense lawyers that would subvert" facts "would not only cause undue delay but would also be construed as an unmistakable indication of guilt."

"Here, the lawyers’ gain is the President’s loss," CREBA said in a statement.

The group also asked all those concerned to respect whatever the jurors may decide on the case.

"If found guilty, the President must immediately step down, and all members of the Cabinet must consider themselves resigned and thereafter provide for a smooth turnover of responsibilities," it said.

The group also said that the opposition should stay calm if the jurors find the President innocent.

"A finding of innocence must not be used by the opposition as an excuse to foment further unrest or mass acts of civil disobedience," it said. Otherwise, they will be accused "of subverting the democratic process to further their own personal agenda."

Meanwhile, former UP Law Dean Froilan Bacungan said President Estrada should appear in the trial to personally clear his name.

He also said that the Chief Executive cannot be suspended during the trial because such an action was not provided for in the Constitution. – With Aurea Calica, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Allen Estabillo