Erap wants to visit mom again

Ousted President Joseph Estrada is seeking permission from the Sandiganbayan to visit his ailing mother at the San Juan Medical Center on her 99th birthday on May 2.

In exchange for that privilege, Estrada told The STAR that he would not ask for a furlough when he celebrates his 67th birthday on April 19 and that he would be happy to remain at his place of detention at the Army’s Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal.

"Mas importante ang birthday ni mama," he said, referring to the family matriarch Mary Marcelo-Ejercito.

From Maundy Thursday to Black Saturday, the anti-graft court allowed Estrada to stay in his 15-hectare estate known as JE Youth Camp, less than a hundred meters from the gates of Camp Capinpin.

Estrada had asked the special division, chaired by Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Minita Chico-Nazario, to let him go on meditation in his private chapel within the estate during the Holy Week.

During those two days, Estrada said he went on a spiritual retreat under the guidance of Fr. Larry Faraon, and that he also went through the 14 Stations of the Cross.

Estrada said he also watched the controversial movie, "Passion of the Christ" during the Holy Week.

He appreciates the Sandiganbayan’s gesture of granting him several furloughs from Camp Capinpin, he added.

Meanwhile, Estrada’s doctor was ordered to appear before the special division on April 19 so the justices could determine if there is a need for Estrada to undergo physical therapy at his resthouse.

Chico-Nazario issued the order yesterday to Dr. Tyrone Reyes, who is to supervise the proposed weekly physical therapy for the 66-year-old Estrada.

She pointed out the anti-graft court needs the testimony of Reyes, a STAR columnist who heads a division at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan, because he operated on Estrada at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in October 2003.

"We can’t issue an order (for Estrada to undergo therapy at his resthouse) without Reyes’ testimony," she told lawyers of both parties in open court. "We see that Estrada’s case is not that urgent since he has waited for three months, why not for two weeks?"– Marichu Villanueva, Delon Porcalla