Erap allowed out of detention to visit ailing mom

Under heavy escort by police Special Forces, former President Joseph Estrada paid an emotional visit to his ailing mother during a court-approved furlough from detention yesterday.

He will undergo a medical checkup today before being whisked back to detention at an Army camp in Rizal province before nightfall, officials said.

Estrada hugged his frail, 98-year-old mother, Mary Ejercito, who had been waiting in a wheelchair near the door of her home at the upscale North Greenhills subdivision in San Juan. She looked up at him and cried.

"I’m here," Estrada told her.

Estrada could be overheard through radio reports from the scene asking his aides why his mother was not eating enough.

The former movie action star was greeted by dozens of supporters when he arrived.

The helicopter bearing Estrada landed on a condominium, after which he traveled by land under heavy police escort to his mother’s house at North Greenhills a few blocks away.

He was accompanied by his wife, Sen. Luisa Ejercito, and two sons, former San Juan mayor Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada and Jose Victor "JV" Ejercito, the current mayor.

Doctors said Estrada’s mother was suffering from an illness which led to insufficient blood supply to the brain.

JV said he had mixed feelings about his father’s homecoming. "We’re happy... and sad, especially when we saw our grandmother cry. We know he’ll be home only for a short time," he said.

The Sandiganbayan anti-graft court trying Estrada for the capital offense of plunder last week granted his request for a brief furlough from detention to visit his mother and to undergo a medical checkup for recurring pain in his lower back and hip joints.

Appearing relaxed in a khaki jacket and pants, Estrada waved at soldiers at the Army camp in Tanay, Rizal where he is detained before boarding a helicopter for the short flight to San Juan.

Black-clad special police forces were ordered by the court to return Estrada to detention before nightfall on Monday. Except for his checkup at Makati Medical Center on Monday, the court banned Estrada from leaving his mother’s house. He cannot visit a son who lives across the street.

A few journalists allowed in were barred from talking to Estrada.

More than 60 policemen were guarding Estrada, said police Chief Superintendent Rolando Sacramento as the government warned that his supporters would not be allowed to stage rallies for him while he is out on furlough.

Security guards barred supporters from entering the subdivision where Estrada’s mother lives.

Estrada, 66, was earlier held at Veterans Memorial Medical Center, a military hospital in Quezon City. On Oct. 16, he was moved to Camp Capinpin because of alleged "terrorist threats" by unnamed groups.

President Arroyo, who has struggled to woo Estrada supporters, did not object to his brief release.

"The President has said that she is concerned with the condition of the former president and allowing him to visit his mother would definitely be good for his morale," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said.

"What’s important is former president Estrada should face the issues but in terms of treatment, he should be accorded one consistent with the respect of a former president," he said.

Estrada is still at the center of political and security concerns. Some of his closest associates and family were linked but have denied any role in the July 27 failed military mutiny.

Meanwhile, after securing a brief furlough for Estrada, his lawyers said they will again try to get a court order to have him put under house arrest.

Lawyer Alan Paguia said Estrada is not a national security risk or a flight risk. Estrada would also be near a hospital if his health deteriorates, Paguia added.

Anti-Estrada groups earlier opposed a house arrest for Estrada, saying the plunder charge against him was a non-bailable offense.

The anti-graft court refused in the past to allow Estrada to temporarily leave detention, citing national security concerns. It rejected a bid by Estrada to seek medical attention in the United States for various ailments including gout and eye problems.

Despite corruption allegations, Estrada remains hugely popular among the poor, who gave him a landslide victory in the 1998 election.

Thousands of supporters rioted and tried to storm Malacañang to reinstall him when he was arrested in May 2001. Four rioters were killed in clashes as security forces beat back protesters from the gates of the presidential palace.

Prosecutors accuse Estrada of amassing more than P4 billion and stashing the proceeds in a secret local bank account during his 31-month presidency. Estrada denies the charges.

Theoretically, Estrada could get the death penalty if convicted.

Estrada maintains he was illegally ousted from the presidency and still has parliamentary immunity.

The Supreme Court erred when it swore in the vice president Gloria Arroyo to replace him after the tribunal declared the presidency vacant during the January 2001 military-backed popular uprising, he said.

Estrada asked Congress in June to impeach eight Supreme Court justices, including Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., for allegedly playing partisan politics to legalize his ouster.

His impeachment complaint was junked by the House of Representatives for lack of basis. — With repors from AP, AFP, Reuters, Non Alquitran, Mayen Jaymalin