Jinggoy flies to US to avoid first day of impeach trial

One of President Estrada’s sons won permission from the Senate yesterday to fly to the United States to attend to "urgent matters" and so avoid testifying against his father on the first day of the unprecedented impeachment trial on Dec. 7.

San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Ejercito wrote to Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide saying he was "more than willing" to testify, even for the prosecution, but he had previous commitments for a series of speaking engagements before Filipino groups in California from Dec. 5 to 14.

He pledged to "make myself immediately available to testify in the impeachment proceedings as soon as I arrive" back in Manila next week, and would not do anything "to evade the court processes."

"I’m not dodging the impeachment trial. I’m very willing to clear my name in the charges against me," the mayor said in a telephone interview. He leaves today for the lecture tour in San Francisco and Los Angeles, both in California.

Davide, the presiding officer in the trial in which the 22 senators serve as jurors, gave him the go-ahead to travel when the prosecution agreed to put him on the stand at a later date.

Mr. Estrada is to stand trial for alleged bribery, corruption, betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution. He loses his post if found guilty on any of the charges.

Prosecutors want the young Estrada to testify about millions of pesos in bribes the First Family allegedly received from operators of jueteng.

But the San Juan mayor said he cannot cancel his engagements abroad because he has as yet not received any formal summons from the Senate to testify as a "hostile witness" against his father.

"I’ve only learned about their plan to summon me in the TV and the newspapers. I’ve received no formal word as yet so I’d better honor my obligations to our countrymen abroad," he said, adding the request for his travel abroad had also been sent to Senate President Aquilino Pimentel and prosecution manager House Minority Leader Rep. Feliciano Belmonte (Lakas, Quezon City). –Non Alquitran