Estrada enlists AFP support

An embattled President Estrada enlisted yesterday the support of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as calls mounted for him to resign over allegations that he received bribes from illegal gambling operators.

Speaking at the turnover of command of the Philippine Army at Fort Bonifacio in Makati City, the President said calls for him to step down were unconstitutional since the people elected him in 1998 for a six-year term.

Lt. Gen. Diomedio Villanueva took over yesterday as the 41st Army chief from Lt. Gen. Voltaire Gazmin who bowed out of the military service at the age of 56.

"Today, as we turn over the command of the Philippine Army from one dedicated soldier to another, I ask you to join me in preserving the Constitution and not the selfish motives of those who seek to violate its sanctity for their own political ends," the Chief Executive said.

"This is what we have been sworn to do. This is what we have been sworn to protect. This is what it shall be," Mr. Estrada said.

The President also said his leadership has been besieged by "politically motivated attacks" aimed at discrediting his "moral credibility" to lead.

But such moves, he said, were doomed to fail because the "veil of deceit can never conquer the light of truth."

The President was referring to accusations by erstwhile friend Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson that he received more than P400 million in jueteng protection money over the past 21 months.

Singson’s charges triggered the filing of an impeachment complaint by the opposition bloc in the House of Representatives last Wednesday.

At the Senate, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile filed a resolution calling for the holding of snap elections purportedly to revalidate Mr. Estrada’s mandate.

The President also reiterated yesterday his innocence.

The powerful Roman Catholic hierarchy, particularly Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, led the call for Mr. Estrada to relinquish his post.

The prelate was later joined in the call by former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos.

Mr. Estrada argued that the people gave him a mandate to govern, and likened himself to a soldier who does not abandon a fallen comrade while in battle.

"I am firmly convinced that we shall overcome the assaults against the integrity of our republic because we believe in the righteousness of our cause and ideal," the President said. "We shall overcome because we have the loyalty, the commitment and the dedication of an armed forces that upholds the ideals of democracy and freedom."

Mr. Estrada said there was no denying the significant role the 65,000-strong Philippine Army plays as part of the AFP in ensuring peace, protecting the integrity of the Republic from insurgents and bringing development.

He said his opponents were "sorely mistaken" if they thought the political crisis could distract him from his duties, and vowed to continue with his pro-poor programs.

He appealed to the opposition to set aside political partisanship and vested interests to help restore foreign investor confidence.

The President, who is also commander-in-chief of the military, lauded Gazmin for his leadership that enabled the Army to carry out reforms, including leadership development, proper force mix, modernized equipment and systems, troop motivation, training and doctrine development and active involvement in non-traditional tasks.

Villanueva, 54, gave assurances that the troops will remain loyal to the public and the Constitution under Mr. Estrada’s leadership.

Inequities remain roots of social unrest – Ramos

Former President Fidel Ramos called yesterday for strong peace and development initiatives in Mindanao and other hotbeds of insurgency in the country, warning that inequities remain the main roots of Philippine social unrest.

Speaking at the public forum on the National Peace Conference’s 10th anniversary at the Ateneo de Manila University, Ramos expressed sorrow at the spiral of violence that has eroded the gains achieved by Mindanao during his six-year term as the country’s chief executive.

"Government cannot – and should not – sustain all-out war against minority groupings within its own national constituency," he stressed.

While military action is justified against armed rebel groups, Ramos emphasized that "community assistance and nation-building programs must accompany, in fact precede, armed action."

City social reforms as the organic links between peace and development, the general-turned-president underscored civilian responsibility in stemming rebellions, especially after military defeats of insurgents.

"A major part of the final effort of consolidation and development becomes primarily a civilian responsibility with the installation of good political leadership," he noted.

"For this to happen, government must ensure, honest and orderly and peaceful elections," and commit its resources to empowering constituents and emancipating them from poverty, he added.

"Only with a decent minimum of the humanities of life can the Filipino poor raise themselves up to grasp the ‘equality of opportunity’ and ‘equality of treatment under the law’ that the Philippine state guarantees them in theory," Ramos pointed out.

Recognized as an important peacemaker and the president who turned around the moribund Philippine economy, Ramos urged Filipinos to collectively work for peace.

"Peace is never the work of just one or a few individuals," he pointed out.

The former president also called on citizens to take current setbacks in stride and not abandon their peace efforts.

Leaders and citizens, he stressed, "must focus on the long-term view."

The President must always keep in mind a strategic vision of the nation’s well-being, Ramos added.

"He must resist being stampeded into contrary action by tactical pressures from the enemies of the peace and development process," Ramos warned.

Lina on way out as LGP head?

Meanwhile, a group of governors loyal to Mr. Estrada was reportedly plotting a move to oust Laguna Gov. Jose Lina as national president of the League of Governors of the Philippines (LGP).

Lina bolted the ruling Lapian ng Masang Pilipino (LMP) on the heels of Singson’s exposé.

But a source told The STAR that only 11 of the 78 governors composing the LGP have expressed support to the move to oust Lina as their leader.

Lina also heads the 1.2-million strong Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, the umbrella organization of different leagues of local government officials.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the 11 governors have earlier called on Mr. Estrada at Malacañang to express their support to his leadership.

In another development, Interior and Local Government Secretary Alfredo Lim said he would not desert Mr. Estrada.

Lim issued the statement in reaction to a call by his partymates in the Liberal Party for him to resign in the light of the jueteng scandal.

"I am not here for politics, but to serve the people," Lim told reporters during a short talk at the Manila Yacht Club along Roxas Boulevard.

He added, however, that he respects the decision of his party.

He called on the local government officials to set aside political motives and remain focused on public service.

"The situation does not need disunity and dissension. What we need at present is unity and solidarity. The call for the hour is for us to remain supportive to the national leadership," Lim said.

He branded as "unconstitutional" the conduct of snap elections as proposed by Enrile.

Meanwhile, a people’s organization calling itself Save the Poor Movement (SPM) noted that the political opposition were against snap elections because Mr. Estrada would surely emerge as the winner.

"This reason reveals the true character of the opposition. They have another meaning to democracy – one that is dictated by their money, not by the majority," SPM leader Lito Descaller said in a statement.

He appealed to the opposition to "put a stop to this political circus for at the end of the day, it is the national economy that will suffer." – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, wire reports